


An Exception

by MadamBiscuit



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: FuxZamasu, HatsuZama, HeartsxZamasu, Heroes, M/M, Super Dragonball Heroes - Freeform, heartsmasu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:01:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 45,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23060623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadamBiscuit/pseuds/MadamBiscuit
Summary: Fu arrived with what looked like a monster on his shoulder and claimed he would become Hearts' most powerful ally. A god who would help him defeat the Omni King. He could simply dispose of the god after his usefulness had worn out, couldn't he? A mortal who hates the gods and a god who hates the mortals . . . who'd have thought they'd grow so close? (Hearts x Zamasu)
Relationships: Fu/Zamasu, Hearts/Zamasu (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Cover made especially for this story by @lera_channn on Twitter.

* * *

Click, click, click. The sound of Hearts’ boots echoed off the walls as he made his way down the hall toward the kitchen. It had been a long day and he could use a drink to relax before plotting their next move. They had a heavy goal on their hands and it took careful planning and calculation to avoid making a mistake and ending it all prematurely.

Approaching from the other end of the hall was Fu, which was pretty rare. Fu was usually in his lab all day, watching footage on his computers or testing one thing or another. Hearts honestly didn’t know what all he was up to and never really bothered to ask. What did it matter? Fu was the one who had gathered several of his powerful allies thus far, so he knew better than to question him. As long as Fu continued to help him achieve his goal, then he wouldn’t mind whatever he did in his free time.

“Yo!” Fu grinned at Hearts as he got closer. Normally he would wave, but his hands were preoccupied with something he had thrown over his shoulder.

“What have you got there?” Hearts arched a brow as he stopped walking to inspect the suspicious cargo. “Some kind of . . . monster?” It certainly looked like one. He couldn’t see the face at all, but the massive, violet mess of a right arm suggested it was something he really didn’t want any part of. “Is that for one of your experiments?” Hopefully it wouldn’t cause the rest of them any trouble, whatever it was.

“Hahaha! Don’t let him hear you say that!” Fu continued to grin as he shifted the weight a bit on his shoulder, “This guy will probably be your most powerful ally in your mission. Buuuuuut I _might_ want to run an experiment or two on him first.” His grin became a smirk as he resumed his journey down the hall toward his lab.

Hearts watched him disappear for a moment, taking note of the being he was carrying with him. He could see a bit of the face from this angle. That purple goo or whatever it was seemed to be covering half his body. Well, no matter. If this creature would help him in his journey to kill the Omni King, he didn’t really care what he looked like. The only factors that mattered were strength and loyalty. “My most powerful ally, huh?” Shrugging, Hearts turned and continued on to the kitchen as he originally intended.

* * *

Days went by without anything more mentioned about the creature Fu had brought back. Everyone went about their business as usual. They harvested energy from a few smaller planets to avoid detection by the Gods of Destruction and the angels, but not much more aside from that. Until they had the manpower to take on higher-energy planets and, if need be, to fight a God of Destruction, they had to lay low.

“Most powerful ally . . .” Hearts sat in the lounge of their hideout, swirling the last bit of whiskey around in his glass as he remembered that brief encounter with Fu. He’d seen the man in passing a few times since then, but they hadn’t really exchanged anything outside of pleasantries. Had he failed in his experiments and accidentally killed the creature? “How annoying.” As patient as he had been up until this point, that patience was now wearing thin. He needed to quickly gather more powerful allies, otherwise they’d never get this mission off the ground.

Drinking the last bit in his glass, he left the lounge and placed the empty glass in the kitchen sink before making his way down toward Fu’s lab. He’d only ever seen the inside of it from the doorway, though he’d never really asked to go inside either. Fu was an absolute mystery to him. What was his goal? He’d only joined forces with Hearts because he said his mission was ‘interesting’ and ‘sounded fun’. Sounded fun? Trying to kill the gods and the Omni King to free all mortal life sounded fun? It was strange for certain.

Hearts stood outside the door for a moment, trying to listen to what was happening inside. There was only the faint sound of whirring computers and an occasional clicking of keys on a keyboard. Just what did he do all day? No, he didn’t really care. He was only annoyed that it was taking such a long time. “Fu.” He gave the door a couple knocks. “It’s Hearts. Open up.”

The sound of the keys stopped abruptly and there was a brief shuffling inside before the door finally opened just a bit, “Yo, Hearts!” He grinned like a fool just as he always did, “Did you need something? Are you going out?”

“That creature you brought a few days ago . . . you said he’d be my strongest ally, but I haven’t seen him since. Was he a failure?” He tried to peek past Fu, but the door wasn’t opened far enough for him to see inside.

“Not at all! Quite the opposite!” Fu smirked, pushing his glasses further up on his nose, “Are you curious about him, Hearts?”

Hearts only gave Fu a stern look, annoyed by his personality. Fu was obviously intelligent, but he played around far too much for Hearts’ taste.

“Alright, alright.” Fu waved a hand before opening the door all the way, closing it once Hearts was inside. “He’s not really conscious yet, but sometimes he opens his eye – don’t let that freak you out.” Fu led him to a long table, which had the ‘creature’, as he’d been calling him, laid out on top of it.

“He looks different now than before.” Hearts furrowed his brows as he gazed down over this future ally. He looked like . . . a Kai? Those were potara earrings, were they not?

“Well for the most part I was able to fix all that purple stuff that he had all over him. His body was breaking down pretty badly on that one side.” Fu grabbed a bag of chips he had on his desk and sat down in the chair beside the table so he could snack while chatting with Hearts.

“You _fixed_ it?” This question only earned a smile and a thumbs-up from Fu, so he decided not to ask further about it. How was it possible to repair something like that? The mystery of Fu continued. “Is he a Kai?” Hearts hesitantly reached down and touched one of the potara earrings.

“Good observation! He was a Kaioshin, to be exact. He was an apprentice who went wild. He killed his master to become Kaioshin, then switched bodies with a powerful Saiyan man. With his new power, he traveled to an alternate timeline, killed all the Kaioshin to eliminate the Gods of Destruction and the Angels, and then, with the help of himself from that timeline, set out on a mission to wipe out all mortal life!” He popped a chip in his mouth, a happy look on his face as though he was impressed with what this Kaioshin had done.

“He wanted to wipe out all mortal life?”

“Mmhmm.” Fu spoke while still chewing. “He nearly did, too!”

“That is exactly the _opposite_ of what I’m trying to do! I am trying to liberate the mortals from the oppression of the gods! So you brought me a _god_ that wants to _kill_ all mortals?” Hearts was normally very calm, but this action had him seething, “Should I take this as your betrayal, Fu?” He never really did fully trust him from the start.

“Woah, woah, woah! Calm down, big guy!” Fu set the chips aside, wiping his hands on his pants, “Let me finish, yeah? He was stopped by a group from the past. You see, this guy – his name is Zamasu, by the way – wished for immortality. He is the fusion of his immortal self and himself who had stolen the Saiyan body. It was impossible for the group from the past, a group of Saiyans, to beat him on their own!” Fu stood up, placing his hands down on the table at Zamasu’s side, “So they called upon none other than the Omni King to erase his existence.” He narrowed his eyes at Hearts, grinning all the while, “See there? Zamasu _hates_ the Omni King, probably even more than you do.”

“. . . this god was erased by the Omni King?” Hearts studied Fu’s face carefully, searching for any sign that he might be lying.

“Yup.”

“Then how is he here right now?”

“. . .” Fu stared at Hearts for a long moment, “I have my ways . . .” He stood up straight once more and adjusted his glasses again. “The important matter is, this guy hates the Omni King and will surely help you in your quest to take him out. If he tries to kill the mortals again . . . we’ll figure out a way to restrain him.” Fu shrugged his shoulders and went over to look at some of his equipment. They looked like they were monitoring something, with cables and tubes of all kinds running to this ‘Zamasu’.

There was no sense in trying to figure out where Fu had picked this guy up. He’d acquired the others in just as mysterious a manner. Was that story really true? It was awfully convoluted. “A god who killed the gods. . .” Hearts studied the Kai’s face before lightly touching it. The right side had a patch over the eye and he had a large brace on his right shoulder and wrist. The sleeve was tattered and mostly gone on that side as well, but the skin underneath was its proper complexion. “Looks like you did fix him, just as you said.”

“I did! Isn’t he beautiful?” Fu practically sang the words, his attention still focused on his equipment.

Beautiful? Hearts ran his thumb over the Kai’s cheek, then his lips, before sliding his hand to his ear to toy with the Potara earring again. He’d never been so close to the gods he so despised. “I suppose he is.” He was easy on the eyes, for certain. There was no importance in that, though. “You said he is immortal?”

“Mmmhmm . . . wanna test it out?” Fu grinned back at him over his shoulder before rummaging through a drawer and tossing him a dagger, “Go on, don’t be shy. I don’t think he would feel the pain even if he was awake.”

“I take it you’ve already tested this . . .” There was something unnerving about Fu’s personality more often than not. “Fine, then.” He lifted the dagger above the unconscious god’s chest and brought it down, sinking it clear through him before removing the blade just as quickly. A smoke-like substance was emitted from the site of the wound briefly as it healed itself right before his eyes, leaving only a hole in his clothing where the cut had once been. “Hmph . . . that will be useful.”

“Right?? See? You were worried for nothing. You can use him as a meat shield if you want. He’s really powerful, though, so don’t underestimate him.” Fu reached back to take the dagger from Hearts. “Hopefully he’ll regain consciousness soon and we can really set this plan into motion!” He grabbed his bag of chips again, this time sitting in front of his monitors, “Want a chip?”

“N-no thanks. . .” Hearts furrowed his brows at Fu before returning his attention to Zamasu. Fu had fixed his rotting right side, but would his mind be corrupted in any way? Would he retain his memories and his hatred for the Omni King, or would he be a clean slate? Hearts wasn’t sure which option he’d prefer, given that this god had tried to wipe out all mortal life.

“Zamasu . . .” He reached to touch his face again, but jerked back with a startled gasp upon seeing that his left eye was wide open.

“Huh? What is it?” Fu whirled around in his seat, but calmed upon seeing what it was that had Hearts flustered, “I already told you he opens his eye sometimes. I don’t think he’s really conscious, though. Don’t worry about it.” He waved his hand and turned around again. “He probably won’t be able to really interact with anyone for a while yet. His readings are all pretty dull.”

“Right . . .” Even if that was the case, it was disturbing to see that unblinking eye. What was more interesting was the color. Kai’s normally had black eyes, didn’t they? Was it a different color because he’d fused with another being? “Silver eyes . . . how extravagant. Typical of a god.” They were all holier-than-thou, controlling mortal lives from atop their pedestals. “They think they are better than the rest of all life. I’m sure this god is no different.”

“Well he was definitely a narcissist to the extreme. I’d bet money that he and himself from the future had an _intimate_ relationship.” Fu chuckled to himself, amused at the look of annoyance on Hearts’ face.

“Tch. Let me know whenever he’s actually conscious. We’ll see how useful he’ll actually be to us.” Hearts left the lab and closed the door behind him, but for some reason the image of that wide, silver eye stuck with him. “A Kaioshin . . .” There was something about him that had him worried, but only time would confirm or deny his suspicions.

* * *

. . . where?

Zamasu blinked several times, but still he couldn’t see anything out of his right eye. Where was this? That was . . . a ceiling, right? What room was he in? He hadn’t been indoors from the last moments he could remember, so then where was this? “. . .” He opened his mouth to speak, to ask the question that was going through his mind, but no words came out.

What happened?

He remembered fusing, remembered fighting with Son Goku and Vegeta . . . he remembered fighting the fused Saiyan Vegetto. He even remembered fighting that bastard Trunks. But at the end of it all, he . . . he. . .

The Omni King.

Zamasu grit his teeth and tried to cry out in anger and frustration, but again not even so much as a whimper escaped him. What was going on? Why could he not speak? On top of all of that, he felt weak, like he couldn’t even get up if he tried.

Had he not been erased after all? Was there some kind of other world he had been sent to rather than have his existence erased? Was it because of his immortality?

Someone else had been nearby not long ago, but they’d left before he could fully realize what was happening. Would that person tell him what was going on? Their physical characteristics were similar to a Kai, with his pointed ears, white hair, and purple skin, but that didn’t make any sense. The Kaioshin were dead. They were all dead.

He heard a door open and then close to his right. He managed to turn his head just enough that he could see it with his left eye. That person was back again and he had someone else with him this time. Who were they? They weren’t Kais, not with those red eyes of theirs. Was this the Demon realm? Had he died and been sent here? Was something like that even possible?

“Can he speak?” Hearts stepped close to the table, but made sure he would be out of reach of the god.

“He hasn’t said anything yet, but he’s been blinking and moving his head and stuff.” Fu was quite a bit more bold and stood on the other side of the table before leaning down so his face was mere inches from Zamasu’s face, “Can you hear us, Zamasu?”

Zamasu’s eye narrowed sharply in response, but he didn’t say a word.

“Well you can glare at me at least.” Fu stood up straight again, “I’m assuming you can hear us. Umm. . . ah! If you can hear what I’m saying, move your head.” He grinned as he watched Zamasu weakly move his head from side to side. “Oh! Perfect! Hearts, why don’t you tell him what’s going on, then?” Fu took a seat, leaning his elbow on his desk and resting his chin in his palm to observe the interaction between the two.

“Right.” Hearts moved a bit closer now that he saw Zamasu couldn’t really move and apparently could not speak. “I am Hearts. Right now you are in my hideout with my team. I am gathering powerful allies to help me with my mission.” He ignored the glare the god was currently shooting at him. He was angry because a mortal was asking for help, wasn’t he? “My ultimate mission is to gather the power needed to defeat the Omni King.” He smirked as he watched the anger practically melt off of Zamasu’s face. “Ah, are you listening to me properly now? That’s right. You and I have the same enemy.”

The same enemy . . . the Omni King. Zamasu stared into Hearts’ eyes for a bit before blinking and turning his head to look away. This mortal wanted to defeat the Omni King? Absurd! The Omni King was the most powerful being in all of existence! Even he, an immortal, supreme god, was no match for him!

But then . . . how was he here right now? “H . . . h . . .” He tried to ask the question, but still could not speak.

“Why can’t he talk, Fu?” Hearts leaned away from him, “Is it something to do with whatever you did to fix him?”

To fix him? Zamasu furrowed his brows at that. He did feel something over his face. Was that why he could not see out of his right eye? Wait . . . his right side had been . . .

Zamasu used every ounce of strength he had to try and lift his right arm so he could see it with his good eye, but it was no use. He could lift it only maybe an inch off the table before it fell back down. He repeated this motion a few times before giving up with a huff. No use. He didn’t have any strength to speak of. Surely he would regain his strength and his voice, right? There was no way he would allow himself to be at the mercy of mortals. Death would be sweeter.

“Hm?” Hearts watched him struggle to move his arm for a moment, “What are you trying to do? If you’re trying to fight, don’t bother.”

“Maybe it’s because he hasn’t had any food or water?” Fu tapped at his chin for a moment, “Even if he is immortal, he may still get weak if he doesn’t have anything to eat or drink for a while.”

“Then shouldn’t we get something for him? He’s useless if he’s weak.”

Useless. A mortal was calling him useless? If only he had his strength, he’d obliterate these bastards! But . . . but right now, he couldn’t so much as lift his own arm, let alone wipe someone out of existence.

“Trying to lift that arm again.” Hearts tilted his head, “That’s the arm that was that big mess of purple, isn’t it? Fu fixed it for you.” Hearts took hold of Zamasu’s hand with the intent of showing the god how it had been healed, but the moment he touched it, he paused. His hand was smaller, thin, and his skin looked quite soft. Removing one of his gloves, he touched his arm again, this time able to feel just how soft it really was. He felt so incredibly . . . delicate. His arms had lean muscle on them, but still he looked and felt delicate compared to the build of someone who was powerful.

Ah, he was staring. “Here, look.” Hearts placed Zamasu’s hand on the god’s own chest so he could see that it had been repaired. Sure enough, that silver eye widened a bit as he moved his fingers. “I could say that you owe us a favor, but I’m not interested in something like that. You have the same goal as us, do you not? Ignoring whatever else you had originally set out to do, wouldn’t you say it is in your best interest to take out the Omni King?”

“. . .” This bastard was trying to manipulate him, wasn’t he? Though Zamasu could not help but be curious as to what exactly his plan consisted of. Thinking about all of this was making him feel a bit light-headed, though.

“I think you’ll see it my way in due time.” Hearts hated gods, but something about this god was different. A god that hated gods and mortals alike. Once Hearts had the strength to kill the Omni King, he could also take out the other gods – Zamasu included. He could probably work with him until that time, though.

“Ah, I think we’ve lost him for now.” Fu stood from his seat and finally looked away from his monitoring equipment, “His brain activity has slowed again. Still, that was pretty good for his first time awake! Maybe in a few days he’ll be able to talk back.” The demon grinned, “I wonder what words he’ll have for you, Hearts!”

“Hopefully a vow of loyalty to our cause.”

Fu laughed again, “You don’t really expect it to be that easy, do you?” Fu lead Hearts back to the door of his lab, “I’ll continue working on him. You can stop by and check any time, though.”

* * *

Another few days went by. Fu had inserted a feeding tube to make sure Zamasu got the nutrients his body needed to help him regain strength. He was also injecting him with something that Fu insisted he needed. Hearts didn’t question it any further, but his hunch told him it was something to do with whatever he had done to ‘fix’ the god. Maybe there was still more to be fixed? His arm and side looked fine, though he hadn’t seen what was under the eyepatch and the piece on his shoulder. Not that it mattered anyhow. It didn’t matter what Zamasu looked like or if he was fully healed or not. It only mattered that he regained his strength and that he agreed to fight alongside him and the others.

. . . though his beautiful appearance did catch Hearts’ attention more than he cared to admit.

Hearts made his routine stop by the lab to see how things were going, but was a bit surprised to find Fu asleep in front of his computers. “Sheesh, at least go to bed . . .”

“He does that fairly often.”

A sudden, unfamiliar voice behind him made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. It was low, soft, almost sultry in a way without even trying. That voice had to be . . .

“Oh? You can talk now?” Hearts turned around to see the god himself sitting up on the table. He still had various monitors attached to him, but the feeding tube had seemingly been removed. “And you’re sitting up, too. If you have that kind of strength and are still here, I take it that means you’ve decided to join us in our mission?” He kept his voice low so as not to alert Fu. It would be easier to talk with Zamasu if that guy wasn’t awake to say something weird.

“Join a band of misfit mortals . . . that has disaster written all over it.”

“Yeah, well you don’t exactly have a shining track record yourself, Zamasu.”

Zamasu’s visible eye narrowed considerably before he gave a simple huff in response. Apparently that had struck a nerve, but still the god did nothing to fight him. Was he simply unable to attack, or was he choosing not to?

“Do you have your strength back fully?” Hearts approached him slowly, that silver eye watching his every step.

“No.” Was it okay to admit that? This guy surely knew better than to try anything funny, right? He was immortal, so it wasn’t like he could be killed or have his life threatened to make him obey. “Fu is working on that. I cannot walk well just yet, but it will all be better soon . . . or so he says.” It was annoying, relying on that strange bastard of a mortal to help him, but that was for the best at the moment. “If you think I’m going to thank you for any of this, you’re out of your mind.”

“No, I don’t expect a god to be grateful for anything. You expect a lot to be done for you and give nothing in return. That’s the divine way, is it not?” Hearts pulled off his glasses before leaning in close. The tips of their noses practically touched and he was surprised Zamasu held his ground and didn’t lean away, “All I want is a powerful ally who can help me take out the Omni King. I can tell that you’re interested, so don’t pretend you aren’t.”

Zamasu pursed his lips. It was true that he wanted to defeat him, but the thought of working with mortals to achieve that made his skin crawl. “If you have a plan that is truly plausible, I may consider it.” If they had found some way to do it, he could at least use them right up until the end and deal the finishing blow himself. Had they found some way to unlock an unimaginable power? If he could obtain such a power, he could use it to defeat the Omni King and then begin his Zero Mortals Plan anew! He had no way of knowing where he was right now, but it was clear that this was some timeline different from where he had been before. Wouldn’t it be something if he could find and kill Son Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks? The looks on their faces just before he cut them down would be wonderful!

Hearts backed away a bit as he watched Zamasu’s expression darken, a wide grin stretching across his face. Just what sort of thoughts were running through his mind right now? “I think you’ll find my plan quite interesting, Zamasu.” He decided not to say anything about it. Judging from what Fu had told him, Zamasu was mentally unstable. To what degree, however, he wasn’t certain.

Hearts’ voice broke Zamasu’s morbid train of thought, his expression returning to neutral. “I see. You’ll have to tell me about it, then.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, “Perhaps over tea? Do you have tea? It probably isn’t any good if you do . . .” He had such a strong craving for tea, though. How long had it been since he’d had it? Ah, he hadn’t had a single sip of it in this new, fused body.

Hearts put his glasses back on before beginning to unhook all of the monitoring equipment from Zamasu’s body. “We have tea. I’m more of a fan of liquor when relaxing and chatting myself, but I’ll have tea with you if that’s what you want. Then maybe I can get you some wine after a meal later.” He smirked, reaching a out to toy with one of the god’s earrings just as he had when he’d been unconscious. Zamasu looked bothered by it, but didn’t even jerk away. “Do you drink wine?”

“I’ve not had it.” Just what was this ‘Hearts’ planning? Even though he was a mortal, something seemed off about him. He felt very powerful, like someone who could easily fight toe-to-toe with Son Goku. Just who was he? What was his reason for wanting to kill the Omni King? “What is it that you’re planning?”

“Oh? I’m not planning on getting you drunk to have my way with you or any-“

“That isn’t what I meant, mortal!” Zamasu grit his teeth, a deep scarlet color spreading across his cheeks and ears as he finally slapped Hearts’ hand away from his earring. “Though now I certainly won’t have any wine later. You cannot be trusted. I know how you mortals are. You all have some strange desire to touch a god. Absolutely not! You already get too close.” Even if they had some kind of miraculous idea, would he really be able to tolerate them for much longer? Fu was awful enough, but Hearts seemed to have filthy intentions.

“It was a joke, a joke.” Hearts waved a hand to dismiss that topic, “I assume you’re asking why I want to kill the Omni King . . . I’ll tell you all of that another time, once you’ve decided to join us, perhaps.” It was best if he didn’t tell him he wanted to kill all of the gods and liberate the mortals, at least for now. Zamasu wouldn’t tag along otherwise. “Let’s go get that tea, shall we?” He turned to leave, but glanced back over his shoulder when he realized Zamasu wasn’t following. “Change your mind?”

“. . . did you ignore the part where I told you I couldn’t really walk yet? Or were you expecting me to simply crawl behind you?” Zamasu looked less than pleased.

“Seeing you crawling would certainly be a treat, but in all honesty I really did forget.” He chuckled at the disturbed look on the gods face while he approached him and slipped an arm under his knees and the other arm behind his back.

“W-what are you-“

“I’m carrying you.”

“No! Unhand me! Just bring the tea in here!”

“I’m carrying you. Hush.” Hearts left the lab with Zamasu in his arms, a small smile on his face. He hated gods, but . . . there was something quite different about this god. It was like he was full of himself and wanted to be prim and proper like a god ought to be, but he was really awful at it.

Fu sat up in his seat as the two left, “Sheeeeesh. Did they really think I could sleep through all that noise?” He drummed his fingers on his desk as he looked to the empty table where Zamasu had been. “It’s probably fine if those two get along. I wonder, though . . . will they become enemies once Zamasu finds out Hearts’ plan?” He grinned, laughing softly to himself, “Show me, show me! What will become of the two of you?”

* * *

For the next several days it went on like this. Hearts would carry Zamasu from room to room to include him in the group. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea, planning for their grand mission. Hearts had explained to him about the Universe Seed and how it had to be powered up. He did continue to leave out his line about bringing salvation to mortal life, though. That wasn’t a topic he could cover with him until Zamasu was more connected with their team. He had to make sure he was fully on board. Fighting with an immortal god was the last thing he wanted.

While Zamasu had been disgusted and angry about being carried at first, he did eventually stop complaining about it. Every now and then he’d even make some remark about his ‘servant’ carrying him. Hearts didn’t mind as much as he probably should have. He hated the gods, and yet this god just seemed so . . . mortal. He had limitations like a mortal. He had mood swings like a mortal. He made sarcastic comments like a mortal. Is that why he had killed the gods of the other timeline? No, he wanted to kill all beings other than himself. Zamasu was truly the most extreme narcissist. Hearts couldn’t let his resolve falter for this one god.

Eventually Zamasu was able to walk on his own and he was quick to put an end to being carried. Hearts didn’t let on that he was a bit disappointed about it, but did continue to spend more time around the god. The more close he got with Zamasu, the more likely the god would be to join their cause, right?

“Isn’t it uncomfortable sleeping on that table in the lab?” Hearts and Zamasu were alone in the lounge – Zamasu was seated on the sofa and Hearts in the large armchair. The silence was deafening and Hearts found himself looking for something to talk with him about. It was a wonder the god hadn’t just up and left already from sheer boredom.

“It’s horribly uncomfortable. It isn’t a bed at all and you’re making me, the most supreme being in the cosmos, sleep on it. How inconsiderate of you.” Zamasu leaned on the armrest, his silver eye staring directly into the eyes of Hearts.

“You could have just asked for a bed, you know. Or are you too high and mighty to ask?”

Zamasu’s eye narrowed, “Then give me a bed, mortal.”

“Ahhh, so it _is_ a matter of your pride.” Hearts smirked, eying Zamasu for a moment, “We don’t have any spare beds, though.”

“Then why even bother to mention it? You’re insufferable. You and Fu both.” All of them, really. Still, he had grown a bit used to their presence during the short time they’d been together.

“. . . there aren’t any spare beds, but my bed is plenty large enough for two.” Hearts smirked, leaning forward a bit in his chair. Teasing Zamasu was just too fun for him to pass up on such an opportunity. Besides, what if he happened to agree to it? He had nothing to lose and quite a lot to gain.

That familiar red blush spread quickly across the Kai’s cheeks, “How vulgar! I’d sooner sleep on the floor than share a bed with a mortal!” Zamasu wasn’t oblivious to the frequent perverse comments from Hearts. He already knew he was beautiful, so why wouldn’t a mortal lust for him? The very thought was disgusting, though. At least he kept it to comments only and didn’t try anything strange. It would be a shame if he had to retaliate and sever his hands. That would surely put a damper on the mission to kill the Omni King.

“Is that really true? Fu seems to think that before you fused, the Kaioshin Zamasu and the mortal Zamasu were in an intimate relationship.” Hearts reached for his glass of liquor he had sitting on the side table and took a drink, his red eyes peering over the glass to watch Zamasu’s expression.

“That’s . . . even if the body stolen belonged to a mortal, it was still possessed by the soul of a god! It’s not the same! Do not even begin to compare yourself to a part of me.” This conversation was getting annoying, though he didn’t find it annoying enough to simply leave. Where would he go, anyhow? Back to that boring lab where he’d have to listen to whatever Fu wanted to prattle on about?

“Right, right. Whatever you say, Mr. God.”

The moment the words left Hearts’ lips, Zamasu practically flew off the sofa, an energy blade encasing his right hand as he tried to strike Hearts directly in the throat. Luckily Hearts’ reflexes were quick and he was able to grab hold of Zamasu’s wrist just below the base of the blade to stop him. The god was seated atop his lap, his legs straddling the other man. “Don’t you **_ever_** call me that!!!”

_Mr. God. . ._

That awful Saiyan fusion, Vegetto, had called him that in that same mocking tone! He’d never forgive him!

“It was only a joke . . . but if that’s all it takes to have you on my lap, perhaps I’ll take the risk and say it more often.” He was pushing his luck with all of this teasing, but Zamasu always reacted so beautifully. How could he resist?

“Woah! Did I interrupt something?” Fu entered the lounge, coming to stand beside the armchair where he found Zamasu on top of Hearts, “I mean, don’t stop just because I’m here . . .”

Zamasu shot the demon a seething glare, the energy blade around his hand dissipating, “You’re not interrupting any-“

“You’re interrupting, get lost.” Now that the energy blade was gone, Hearts released his hold on Zamasu’s wrist, only to wrap both arms around his waist and pull the god flush against his chest.

“W-what are you doing, mortal!? Unhand me at once!!” The Kai grit his teeth, shoving at Heart’s chest to try and pull away from him. If he had to use destructive force to do it, then . . .

“Oh hey, Fu, while you’re here . . . any reason in particular we can’t take this eyepatch off of him?”

The eyepatch. Zamasu stopped fighting when Hearts asked about it. He had also been curious, yet afraid, as to what was underneath. He was an immortal god whose body healed from all damage, so then why would he need something like an eyepatch? Wasn’t he healed? He had something of a similar material on his shoulder. He’d thought many times about taking them off when he was alone in the lab, but a fear in the back of his mind prevented him from doing so.

“You mean you haven’t looked underneath yet?” Fu tilted his head curiously at Zamasu, who only gave him a dead stare in return, “I was able to fix most of that purple rot, but . . . well your right eye just didn’t want to come back properly. Last I saw it, it still had purple around it and the eye itself was just a blank yellow color.” Fu shrugged, “I thought it was ugly and ruined your pretty face, so I covered it up. It won’t hurt anything to take it off, though.”

Ugly. Ruined his face.

Zamasu reached a hand up to lightly touch the eyepatch, his other eye wide and unblinking. Ugly. Ugly ugly ugly. . . . he was ugly. He was ruined. All because of those mortals. This was all Son Goku’s fault!

“Hey.” Hearts grabbed Zamasu’s wrist, pulling his hand away from the cover, “You’re not-“

“Let go of me.”

“Just listen-“

“Let _go_ of me!” Zamasu produced another energy blade with his other hand, prompting Hearts to immediately release him. The blade dissipated as the god climbed off Hearts’ lap and quickly fled the room.

“Huh . . . I thought you two were getting along. What happened?” Fu furrowed his brows as he watched the door to the lounge close. He then returned his attention to Hearts.

“ _You_ happened, idiot. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kick your ass.” Hearts stood from the armchair, crimson eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared down his nose at Fu.

“Ahh. . . hahaha, woops! I didn’t really do anything, though.” Fu scratched at his head, “I’m sure it will be fine. Zamasu won’t leave us – he’s too interested in the Universe seed. Besides, what would happen if he stopped his treatments? His body may begin to turn into that mess again. He wouldn’t want that.” Fu waved a finger before shrugging, “And . . . do you really think you could beat me, Hearts?” He grinned and chuckled, amused as Hearts’ anger faltered for a moment, “Don’t be rash. He’ll come around in time, I’m sure.”

* * *

Ugly. Ruined. Ugly. Ruined.

Zamasu wasn’t really sure where he was going. He wanted to leave this place and hunt down Son Goku to rip him apart for what he had done. And yet. . . would it be worth it to exact such revenge if it meant losing the opportunity to kill the Omni King? From what Hearts had told him of the Universe Seed, it truly did sound promising. He needed to be patient and put up with their nonsense and their awful companionship until he could steal the fully-powered seed and use it himself to kill the king. It was at that time he would be able to find and destroy Son Goku.

“I’ll kill him. . . I’ll kill his family again, this time right before his eyes! And then I’ll rip him apart. His screams will be the sweetest sound to have ever graced my ears.” His heart pounded hard in his chest at the mere thought of it. He wanted so desperately to inflict as much pain and suffering as he could on that Saiyan bastard.

Zamasu opened doors as he traveled down an unfamiliar hallway in the hideout. Closets, small bathrooms, an . . . office? But finally he arrived at a bedroom that looked like it was rarely used if at all. There was nothing personal about it and the bed inside had been neatly made. “No spare bedroom, huh? Lying mortal bastard.” It would be fine to just stay here for a while, right? He didn’t want to see or hear any of the mortals for now. Well, never really, but he wanted to at least escape them to think for a bit.

“Ugly. . .” That word stung horribly. He, the most beautiful being in existence, was called ugly. “I am. . . I am _not_ ugly! I am beautiful! I am the most perfect god!” He held a hand over the eyepatch again and stood in front of a floor-length mirror hanging on the wall in the corner. “Surely it has healed itself. Perhaps it was just a bit slow, is all. . .” So then why was he hesitating to remove the cover? Why was his hand shaking? What if . . . what if it _hadn’t_ healed? What if it would _never_ heal?

Zamasu slowly sank to his knees on the floor. He couldn’t do it. He didn’t want to know the truth about what was underneath. If it was just as Fu said it was, then he wouldn’t be able to take it. He had told himself that he accepted the mess his body had become. He’d done that for the sake of the cosmos, but . . . but now what? His plan had been completely ruined, so for what reason had he destroyed his perfect body? His perfect face? Had all of his work and all of his sacrifice truly been for nothing?

The god clenched both hands tightly into fists and grit his teeth, trying to will away the tears stinging at the backs of his eyes. He could feel that in his right eye at the very least. So it could still shed tears? How pathetic. An eye that can cry and do nothing else. “Pathetic. . . ugly . . . ruined . . . and for what?”

_For nothing._

“How? How did I fail? Everything was perfect . . . we were unstoppable . . . we? I . . .” He had no one, now. The future between Black and Zamasu had looked so beautiful and bright and splendid. Who would have thought it would be completely destroyed so quickly? All of that work and planning was obliterated by just a handful of Saiyans. “Saiyans. . . I’ll kill you! I’ll find you and kill you!” Tears streamed down his cheeks now, even the right side had tears seeping out from underneath the eyepatch. “I’ll kill you!” His words were a harsh whisper as he beat his fist against the floor, careful not to destroy the floorboards. He didn’t want to make too much sound and alert the others to his location, either. No one could see him like this . . . so disgusting, so vulnerable, so . . . pathetic.

Hearts stood at the bedroom door, his hand on the knob as he listened to Zamasu inside. He could hear his soft voice, his words shaking with sobs. He could hear that pain hanging on every word, that emotional agony. Was this really a god? Was this really what they were like? This was nothing like the gods Hearts thought he knew, that he despised so much and wanted to destroy. Zamasu did not seem much different from himself or Fu or the others.

He stared at the knob for a long while, fighting with himself as to whether or not he should open it. He wanted to talk to Zamasu, to try and comfort him and ease his worries. To promise him revenge on the mortals who had wronged him once they’d killed the Omni King together, but . . . Zamasu didn’t want that right now, did he? It would likely only make him feel horrible if someone saw him in such a state. Zamasu really did see himself as better than everyone else, which probably made accepting his imperfections that much more difficult.

Sighing softly, Hearts dropped his hand to his side and walked away from the door. Zamasu probably didn’t realize it, but that bedroom belonged to Hearts. He didn’t really keep anything special in there, though, so it wasn’t readily obvious to anyone.

“This isn’t right . . .” Hearts muttered the words to himself as he wandered back toward the kitchen for yet another much-needed drink. “He’s a god . . .” He initially had every intention of using Zamasu for his power and then making him the first victim when he gained the strength of the Universe Seed, but . . . would he really be able to do that? Wouldn’t it be best to keep Zamasu as his ally forever? He was immortal, wasn’t he? It would be a waste to destroy someone like that. Yes, he should definitely keep him around.

. . . that was most certainly the reason to keep him around.

“Did you find him?” Fu was already in the kitchen, likely about to raid the pantry for more snacks to go back to his lab with.

“Yeah.” Hearts went to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of his favorite. He was tempted to just drink straight from the bottle, but figured it would be too dramatic and make Fu ask annoying questions.

“. . . aaaaand? How did it go?” Fu sounded like a doting parent, wondering how his son’s first date went. Why did he sound so damn interested? All of this could have been avoided if he hadn’t said something so insensitive.

“He was in my room. I’m sure he didn’t realize it. I could hear him talking to himself and. . .” He thought better about telling Fu Zamasu was crying. The god wouldn’t want anyone to know about that, especially not Fu who had been the cause of it. “He sounded like he really needed time to himself, so I left.” Hearts poured himself a glass and took a seat at the kitchen table, a defeated sigh leaving his lips.

Fu stared at him for a long moment as though trying to decide if he should pry further or not. After a bit more hesitation, he snagged a big bag of chips from the pantry and took a seat across from Hearts at the table.

“Did I say you could join me?” Hearts shot Fu an irritated look.

“Did I ask for permission?” Fu threw him a smirk in return, earning him yet another sigh. “What’s with that expression, huh?” He noisily opened the bag of his snack, tossing a few chips into his mouth, “Do ya like him?” He practically sang the question as he leaned on the table, red eyes wide with curiosity, “You do, don’t you? Hahaha!”

“Shut it, Fu.” Hearts rested his elbow on the table and rested his forehead in the palm of his free hand as he took a drink. “He’s only been up and about for what. . . a week? Two weeks, tops?”

“So?”

“We’ve barely had any interaction. You’re being ridiculous.”

“You think so?” Fu leaned back in his chair, crunching on a few more chips as he looked thoughtful for a moment. “You were curious about him from the beginning. You were drawn to his pretty face and his eyes . . . or . . . well . . . _eye_. You carried him from place to place when he couldn’t walk so he wouldn’t have to stay in the lab all day. Even now, you’re the one who encourages him to join us for meals, to gather around while we plan . . . and outside of that, you’re the only one he will spend any kind of time with.”

All of this was starting to give Hearts a headache. “You’re taking all of this the wrong way. I’m just having a hard time accepting that he’s a god is all. I hate gods. They’re pompous, they’re rude, they don’t give a single fuck about the mortals they created. They’re cold, they’re so . . . above us. Zamasu, though . . . I don’t know. He seems different and I just can’t wrap my mind around it.” He threw his head back and downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, tempted to pour himself another.

“That’s all there is to it?” Fu squinted at him, but just hummed a bit and shook his head. “Whatever becomes of you two, I’m really curious to see it. The mortal who hates the gods and the god who hates the mortals . . . will they become the greatest allies or will they each seek to kill the other?” Fu chuckled as he rose from his seat, taking his snack with him, “I’ll be in my lab if you need something. Make sure Zamasu comes back to me at some point tonight. Or . . .” He glanced back over his shoulder, a smirk playing on his lips, “Is he going to sleep in your room?”

“Get out of here.” Hearts shooed him with a wave of his hand, finally relaxing in his seat once Fu was gone. “As if he’d sleep in my room . . .” He ran a hand through his hair, sighing for the millionth time. “The god who hates the mortals . . . will you try to kill me, Zamasu?”

* * *

Zamasu didn’t come out of the room for the rest of the day. Even when dinner was ready, he did not join them. Hearts had gone to try and coax him to the table, but when he opened the bedroom door, Zamasu was asleep on the floor in front of the mirror. Just what had he been doing all this time? Surely he hadn’t just been crying and lamenting for hours on end. It was likely that he was just exhausted from getting such poor sleep on the lab table and had been asleep on the floor in the room for a while now. Why not get in the bed, though?

Once they finished eating and the twins were busy with the dishes, Hearts excused himself from the table to go to bed early.

“Should I expect Zamasu back in the lab?” Fu tilted his head, a plate of cake in his hand. That bastard was always snacking in there, even after eating a full meal.

“. . . maybe. Depends on how he reacts when I try to move him.” Hearts rubbed at the back of his head, trying to ignore the wide grin Fu was sending his way. “Hopefully I won’t have to bring him to you, though.” Without giving Fu a chance to say anything else, Hearts left the kitchen.

As Hearts made his way back down the hall to his room, he pondered the different scenarios. Best case, Zamasu wouldn’t wake up and freak out until the morning. Worst case, he’d immediately wake up and go ballistic at what Hearts was trying to do. It wasn’t like he had any ill intentions in moving him to the bed with him. They would just sleep in the same bed. That was fine, wasn’t it?

Though if Zamasu decided he wanted it to be more than that, he definitely wouldn’t turn him down. Who would turn down sex with a beautiful god like Zamasu? Gods were awful, but he would use them for that at the very least.

“Alright . . . what will you do, god?” Hearts carefully turned the knob so as not to make too much noise. He was relieved to see that Zamasu was still in the same spot on the floor, though he had changed his position a bit. “Look at you . . . you’re an absolute mess of a person right now.” Hearts closed the door behind himself, locking it so the others couldn’t be nosey during the night. Primarily to keep Fu out, though that guy probably had some kind of device to get into the room if he really wanted to.

He shut off the main light, then went into the bathroom that was in the room and turned on the light there so it wasn’t pitch dark before returning to the unconscious Kai on the floor. “Heh . . . not very divine right now, Mr. God.” That nickname had made him horribly angry before. Had someone called him that in the past? One of the people who ruined his plans, perhaps? Fu had mentioned something like that, hadn’t he? “You’re even drooling on the floor.” He reached out to swipe away the saliva with his gloved thumb, wiping it off on his pants. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.” He really wanted to at least remove the shoulder cover and his overcoat, but what if he woke up during that? That wouldn’t go over well at all.

“This would be easier if you were drunk and passed out.” Slipping his arms underneath him, Hearts very slowly and gently lifted Zamasu up from the floor and carried him to the bed. The god groaned and shifted a bit, but didn’t seem to really stir otherwise. Would he really sleep through all of this? It would be a damn miracle.

He carefully placed Zamasu down on the bed, slipping his arms out from underneath him. “There. Isn’t that better than the floor or that lab table?” He glanced over the god briefly, “Can I at least take off your shoes?” He wasn’t sure why he was even speaking to him – Zamasu was obviously sleeping like the dead at the moment and couldn’t hear a word. It should be safe to at least remove his boots. Taking those off in bed was completely logical and shouldn’t cause a fight or a misunderstanding if Zamasu were to wake up during the process.

Walking to the end of the bed, Hearts carefully pulled each boot off and set them on the floor, looking back up the bed at the god to make sure he hadn’t woke up. Even with the dim lighting from the bathroom, he could see Zamasu clearly. He really was beautiful; Hearts had noticed that immediately when he saw his face for the first time. How could Fu say his eye made him ugly? Just how bad was it? Was it really so awful that it could make someone consider this beautiful god ugly? It didn’t seem possible. “Did his words really upset you that much, Zamasu?” Hearts went back to the side of the bed and just stared down at the sleeping man for a moment. He knew he ought to cover him up and then get ready for bed himself, but . . .

His lips looked so soft. . .

“Are all gods beautiful, just as you are?” Hearts removed his glasses and gloves, setting them on the bedside table, then rested a hand on the headboard to brace himself as he leaned down and lightly ran the thumb of his other hand across Zamasu’s lower lip. “Or are you an exception?” His heart was beating so quickly. Why did it feel exciting to touch him? He wanted to touch him more, to feel his skin under the tips of his fingers as he ran them along his arms, his chest, his stomach, his-

“I need to stop.” He drew in a deep breath and pulled his hand away. Perhaps he should take him to the lab instead. Having Zamasu in the bed next to him might make for trouble. Would he be able to keep his desires in check? Just what _did_ he desire, exactly?

No, that much was obvious. Who wouldn’t want to put their hands all over the body of a god?

Why couldn’t he pull himself away? Why was his heart beating so rapidly? Was it because something like this was sinful? It probably was. “You’re bringing out a strange side of me, god.” He ran that same hand over the cover on Zamasu’s shoulder before carefully removing the device. His arm was green underneath, but where his tattered shirt began he could see the purple coloration on his skin underneath it. Was it weird to find the way the purple and green meshed together beautiful? The colors complemented each other surprisingly well. That was nothing to hide or be ashamed of. Shouldn’t Fu agree, given that his whole damn body was purple?

“That guy is a quirky asshole. Don’t listen to him . . .” Shouldn’t he save these words for when Zamasu was awake? “I’m going to take your coat off.” Didn’t he say before that it was best not to do that? And yet here he was, removing the red sash before slowly unbuttoning the front of the tattered coat, pulling his arms through the arm holes, and sliding the fabric out from underneath the other man. Still not even a single bit of stirring, either. “He’s out cold.” It was almost laughable just how much he had done without Zamasu waking. He had removed his boots, his shoulder cover, his coat . . . he’d even gone so far as to touch his lips, but Zamasu had no idea. How much could he get away with?

That kind of thinking was dangerous.

“Oh, the bands on your wrists . . . those are uncomfortable, aren’t they?” His breathing was feeling a bit labored now. How pathetic was it that his body felt so excited from just this little bit? It wasn’t like he was going to do anything with him, so there was no reason to get so worked up. Even as he removed the wrist pieces and placed them on the floor with everything else, his hands were trembling slightly.

“Come on, that’s enough . . .” But he just wouldn’t leave the bedside. Instead, his eyes trailed over Zamasu’s body. The shirt he wore underneath that coat was tight enough that he could make out the muscles hidden underneath. What a powerful, but lean form. Hearts’ hand hovered just above the Kai’s stomach, his fingers itching to touch the fabric of his shirt, to glide over the curves of each muscle, to slip up underneath the fabric and-

“Shit . . . I need to sleep.” Hearts pulled himself away and went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. What was going on? Sure, Zamasu was beautiful, but what kind of thoughts was he allowing to go through his head? That kind of thing could only end in disaster. He had not yet witnessed the height of Zamasu’s power, but he knew he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of a full-force attack. Doing something inappropriate with him against his will was completely out of the question.

Hearts stared at himself in the mirror after drying his face. “What has gotten into you? He is a god. You hate gods.” Wasn’t it fine to have an exception, though? At least Zamasu had already eliminated the gods once himself. He should not have any issue with him wiping all of the others out, then. “Why am I worried over this? How ridiculous.”

The man stripped down to only his pants before climbing into bed beside Zamasu. The bed was plenty large enough for two people, but the very thought of sleeping beside him made his pulse pick up once more. Hopefully he’d be able to calm himself enough to sleep.

He rolled onto his side so he could at least look at him. He’d left the bathroom light on, but pulled the door mostly closed in case Zamasu woke in the night and needed to use the restroom . . . did gods even do that? It wasn’t something he’d ever considered. Either way, the dim lighting from the bathroom was just enough that he could make out Zamasu’s features in the dark room.

Hearts pulled the covers over them both, up to about mid-stomach. After all the moving he’d done with the god without waking him, apparently moving the sheets was enough to make him stir. Hearts held his breath as he heard the god groan a bit and watched him roll onto his side, facing the other man. Would he wake up? Would he panic?

“. . . nnn . . . mmm . . . Za . . . Zama . . . su . . .”

Who the fuck says their own name in their sleep?

_“Well he was definitely a narcissist to the extreme. I’d bet money that he and himself from the future had an intimate relationship.”_

Fu had said something like that, hadn’t he? Then perhaps he wasn’t dreaming about himself, but rather his other self. Zamasu had practically confirmed Fu’s suspicions earlier, after all. For a narcissist, the greatest lover in existence would definitely be themself. What a mess of a creature he was. Those two may have had some kind of love affair going on and then they fused. So what now, then? Surely this Zamasu remembered that relationship. Did he miss it?

“Za . . .” The god whined softly, his hands moving oddly as he dreamt of whatever it was.

Against his better judgement, Hearts slowly reached out and gently touched Zamasu’s face, his fingers caressing his cheek before moving to the god’s ear. Unexpectedly, Zamasu began to nuzzle his hand, soft noises escaping him as he did so. Still, he did not wake up. “You have to be doing this on purpose . . . are you trying to bait me?” Hearts whispered the words as he slid the same hand back across Zamasu’s cheek and then ran his thumb over the man’s lips. He wanted to kiss him. He wanted to put his mouth and hands all over Zamasu’s skin. His heart felt like it would beat out of his damn chest if this kept up. “You’re cruel, Zamasu.” Why did he feel so strongly? Was it something to do with the fact he was a god? Did gods give off some kind of pheromone? Or perhaps it was a desire to dominate a god.

With hands that were now trembling with need, Hearts pulled the god close as carefully as he could. What if he woke up now? How could he explain this? He couldn’t. There was nothing other than he was taking liberties that he should not be taking. Was it okay as long as he didn’t do anything inappropriate? It was fine to just hold him close, right? But he had been saying that every step of the way so far. He said it when he put him in the bed, when he took off his boots, when he removed some of his clothes . . . just how far was he going to take this before he could finally stop himself and be satisfied?

“Mmm . . . Zamasu . . .” The Kai nuzzled into Hearts’ chest , his hands resting lightly against the other man’s skin as his fingers sloppily wandered short distances across the large x-shaped scar.

“. . .” Hearts swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat before wrapping his arms around the god and holding him tightly against him. Whatever. If he woke up now, then so be it. His heart was pounding so hard that he thought for sure it was loud enough to wake the Kai. Was this punishment for something he’d done in the past? Karma was a cruel mistress. Still, he’d enjoy this attention for as long as he could while doing his best not to overstep the biggest boundaries. Zamasu might be angry in the morning . . . no, he would most _definitely_ be angry in the morning, but for now . . . for now he would hold him close, bury his face in that beautiful white hair, and let him dream of the lover he once had.


	2. Chapter Two

Warm. Soft. Comfortable. It had been a while since he’d woke up to such a feeling. He was in a soft bed under covers with big, strong arms wrapped around him. He had missed mornings such as this. Mornings that were slow and quiet and revolved entirely around them. Mornings where he could just bury his face in Black’s chest and maybe fall asleep for a while longer until he got up to make breakfast for the both of them.

. . . but Black and Zamasu had fused and become him. Those memories were only a piece of who he now was. So then . . . whose arms were these? Whose chest was his face buried in?

Zamasu’s eye snapped open and after it was able to focus in the dimly-lit room, he found himself face-to-face with a pale, scarred chest. Who . . .? Trying to keep his calm, he tilted his head back to see whose face it was. This person . . . He looked different without those glasses on, but it was Hearts, wasn’t it? Why the hell was he in bed with this mortal?! Had he not been clear enough when he said he didn’t want to share a bed with him!? So why, then, was he here anyway!? In his _arms_ , too!!

The god quickly touched himself in various places, feeling that at least his shirt and pants were still intact. This guy was absolutely vulgar, though, going to bed with only pants on. Not that he ever wore a shirt anyhow, but couldn’t he at least be a bit more decent if he was going to force someone to sleep with him? Disgusting!

So why couldn’t he bring himself to blast this bastard right out of the bed?

Zamasu pursed his lips as he studied Hearts’ face. From what he could tell right now, nothing strange had happened between them at the very least. He’d left most of Zamasu’s clothing on him and, thankfully, the cover still over his eye. The embrace was bothersome, but maybe he’d only done that unintentionally in his sleep? No, why was he trying to justify this!? It was all completely unacceptable!!

. . . and nostalgic.

The Kai squeezed his eye shut tightly. His heart ached. He missed that warm and intimate relationship that Zamasu and Black had together. Their beautiful dreams of a utopia just for the two of them had been utterly shattered. Could a fusion be undone? No, he knew that it could not. He didn’t want to think about it. Thoughts of what he should have had only made him angry and upset. Those bastard Saiyans had stolen his utopia from him, stolen his beautiful future from him, and ruined his perfect face . . . there would be no sweeter revenge than when he finally took them out.

“Good morning, Zamasu.”

Zamasu reopened his eye when he heard Hearts’ voice and felt his arms tighten around him, “Get away from me, bastard! Who gave you permission to take me to bed with you!? I believe I stated quite clearly that I wanted nothing to-“

“Shhhhh, shh shh . . . so noisy . . . it’s too early for that.” Hearts placed a hand over the Kai’s mouth to silence him. “That room you fell asleep on the floor in was _my_ bedroom. I think it was very kind of me to put you in my bed even though I could have just left you on the floor. I even made sure you were comfortable by taking off your shoes and the more restrictive pieces of clothing.” He locked eyes with the god, who looked incredibly irritated at this point, “And you didn’t seem like you were in such a hurry to get away from me before I said something. You like it, don’t you? Being warm in someone’s arms. If you’re worried that I did something to you in your sleep, I didn’t. I have a bit more decency than that.” Not much, though. It had taken every ounce of self control he had to keep from touching the god inappropriately. If he had been certain Zamasu wouldn’t wake up from it, he probably would have taken it too far.

Zamasu slapped the hand away and shoved at Hearts’ chest to try and break free, but Hearts continued to hold him. “As if I trust that! All you mortals are obsessed with the gods! You want so desperately to touch us and do unspeakable things! Why is it that you want the gods so badly!?”

Hearts furrowed his brows. Zamasu’s shoving at his chest wasn’t very convincing at all. His heart was a bit difficult to read, but he seemed to actually want to stay, “I don’t want the gods.”

“Hah! That isn’t believable in the slightest! I can tell by the way you interact with me that you want to . . . to be vulgar with me!” A deep red dusted the Kai’s cheeks and the tops of his ears as he broke eye contact with the other man.

“You mean I want to have sex with you? Yes, I do. I absolutely would have sex with you the moment you told me it was okay to do so.” Why was it so damn simple to admit that? “But that’s not the issue here, is it? You’re just trying to convince yourself why you hate this situation.” He buried a hand in Zamasu’s hair, gripping it and yanking his head back so he could look him in the eye again, “Your mouth is going on and on but I can hear your heart.”

“Wh-what are you talking about? I _hate_ mortals!” His mind was reeling from everything this man was saying. How could he admit so easily that he wanted to have sex? How filthy!

“But you crave intimacy. Do you not?” Zamasu was no longer shoving at him or struggling. He just looked directly into Hearts’ eyes, a very blank expression on his face. “Well? Go ahead and tell me that I am wrong if that’s the case. If you really hate it, then tell me so. Tell me to let go of you, Zamasu. But if you desire to be held close to someone, then shut up and let me hold you.”

What was with him? Why was he so adamant about staying this way? And then saying that he could ‘hear his heart’. What did that mean? Why was he acting as though he knew what he truly wanted? Sure, being close to someone like this was reminiscent of the intimacy between Black and Zamasu, but this man was most certainly neither of the two! Why would he want to stay in the embrace of a mortal or demon or whatever the hell this bastard was!?

Yet . . . he didn’t budge, not even an inch. He only narrowed his eyes at Hearts until the man finally released his grip on his hair and pulled his head against his chest.

Warm . . .

“I just want you to know that I hate this.” Zamasu murmured the words against Hearts’ chest, his own heart beating rapidly as his mind and his desires clashed. What was he supposed to do in such a situation? This was ridiculous!

“Do you? I’m not very convinced, Zamasu.” Hearts smiled softly as he ran his fingers through the god’s hair. It was so soft. Did he like it when someone played with his hair? “You slept quite a lot. I’m not sure how long you were out when I found you. You barely even stirred when I carried you to bed.”

“. . . I haven’t slept well since I was brought here.”

“But you did last night, did you not?”

“. . .” Zamasu furrowed his brows at the implication of Hearts’ words. He _had_ slept the best since he’d been here, “Because I had a bed instead of that table. Get me my own bed.”

“You’ll sleep better in mine.”

“I want my own.”

“You’d be lonely and cold if you had your own. Besides . . . there aren’t any spare rooms. I told you so before.”

Before Zamasu had the chance to argue back, there was a knock at the door. “Isn’t it a little early for a lovers’ quarrel?” Fu chuckled on the other side, “Breakfast is almost ready, so you should put your clothes on and join us.”

Put their clothes on!? Zamasu’s eyes widened with anger, “We didn’t have-“

Hearts slapped another hand over the god’s mouth, “Yeah, yeah. We’ll be out shortly.” He waited a bit for Fu to walk away before removing his hand once more, “What does it matter if he thinks we had sex? It doesn’t hurt anything.” He grinned at the intense scowl the Kai threw his way, “The more angry you get, the more beautiful you are, Zamasu.” Hearts smirked, intending to fluster Zamasu, but instead the Kai got quiet and his expression became blank.

“Beautiful?” He reached up to touch the patch over his eye, his brow furrowing as though he was pained, “No. Not anymore.” Zamasu slipped from the bed before Hearts had a chance to stop him. “We should get our breakfast before Fu suspects anything further.” He began to pull on his tattered overcoat and waistband. Zamasu picked up the large cover that had been on his shoulder, but placed it back on the floor, “I don’t think I need that . . .” His shoulder was tinted purple where that grotesque arm had been. His eye was like that too, right? Or so Fu had said. Would they really never return to their former appearance? His beauty . . . his perfect form . . . ruined for eternity.

Fu’s awful comments from yesterday were still eating at him? Was he really so bothered by that? What did the words of someone like Fu matter? “Zamasu . . .”

“. . . what?” The god glanced back over his shoulder as he straightened out his clothes as best he could.

“. . . no, it’s nothing.” Hearts had half a mind to tell him he really was beautiful, but that would only make things strange, wouldn’t it? What reason did he have to tell him that? Zamasu would probably only accuse him of trying to get in his pants. Not that he was against such a thing, but . . . “By the way, can’t you fix them?”

“Fix what?” Zamasu went to the door and unlocked it before turning the knob. Why was Hearts lingering for so long?

“Your clothes. Kai’s can fix and change their clothes at will, can’t they?” They could probably remove them instantaneously as well. That was an interesting thought.

“Yes, I could do that.” Zamasu glanced down at his torn clothing before exiting the room with Hearts right behind him.

“So then why do you keep them torn? Wouldn’t you feel better with your clothes restored to how they were?” Hearts was still pulling his coat on as they walked down the hall toward the kitchen.

“So I don’t forget. Every time I see the holes, the tears, the singed edges . . . I remember who did this to me. I want to stay angry until the day I finally make them pay for this.” Zamasu grit his teeth before shaking his head. No matter what, he just couldn’t stop thinking about Fu’s words. Why did it bother him so damn much? That only irritated him further. The words of someone so insignificant had shaken him to his core.

Ugly . . .

“No more about this.” He’d already said too much, anyhow. Hearts didn’t deserve to hear any of the thoughts in his head, though he claimed that he could ‘hear his heart’. Was that true?

“Alright.” He’d let it go for the time being, but he wanted to talk to him more about it later. It was very clear that he was bothered by Fu’s words, by the idea that he had been ruined because of that one part of him. Wouldn’t it be best to remove that cover and see it for himself? It would have to wait, though.

* * *

Following breakfast, Fu asked Zamasu to come back to the lab with him for a routine injection. Fu told him it was necessary to make sure his body wouldn’t become disfigured again, but was that really what it was? It wasn’t like it could kill him, but the god couldn’t help but be suspicious of this guy. Even Hearts didn’t seem to really trust him.

“You can sit in my chair if you don’t want to get up on the table.” Fu motioned to the chair he was referring to before going over to his supplies to begin prepping the injection.

“You said this is to maintain my body?” Zamasu looked at his arm. He had reason to believe Fu, given the man had fixed that absolute monstrosity, but what had he made that could possibly have fixed such a thing? This guy was like a mad scientist of sorts, but . . .

“Yup! Without this, there is a chance your body could go back to the way it was. Or maybe all of this is for nothing and your body is fine now. No way to be certain, but do you really want to take that chance?” Fu smiled back at him over his shoulder before holding up the syringe.

“That is fair.” Zamasu watched with disinterest as Fu poked the needle into a vein in his exposed arm and quickly dispensed the medicine before pulling it out once more. “Fu, tell me . . . aren’t you a member of the demon race?” He’d been curious about it for a bit now. The demons were long-time enemies of his own race, yet he’d never actually seen one of them. There were very few of them left, weren’t there? Though perhaps that was all propaganda to make the Kaioshin seem greater than they were. The Kaioshin, as esteemed and revered as they are, were all terribly weak.

Fu sighed, his usual grin falling to a frown as he gave Zamasu an irritated look, “Does it really matter?” He placed the syringe back with his supplies before sitting atop the table where Zamasu once was. “I am here and you and I are on the same team. That’s all that really matters, isn’t it? What changes if I am a demon or if I am just a mortal?”

“I hate mortals.”

“Don’t you also hate demons?” The smirk was back on his lips as Fu swung his legs a bit like a child. “Or rather, don’t you hate anyone who is not yourself?” He chuckled and leaned back, propping himself up with his hands flat on the table.

“. . . I do. Still, why would you not simply admit to what you are? Have you no pride in your own race?”

“. . . do you have any pride in yours? That’s a pretty ridiculous question from someone who slaughtered his own people.”

Zamasu furrowed his brows, but had nothing to say in response to that. It was true. He didn’t really feel he was a member of his own race anymore. Their ideals didn’t match up in the slightest and they are all so incredibly weak and complacent.

“It’s nothing to think too hard about.” Fu waved a hand before slipping off the table to stand in front of the god, “Even if you tried to go back to that life, you’d surely be rejected . . . we aren’t really gods or demons or even mortals, so why bother with the labels? Let’s just do whatever we think is interesting and fun!” Fu leaned down, placing his hands on the armrests of the chair so he could bring his face close to that of Zamasu. “Don’t worry about implications and reputations anymore . . . we can do whatever our hearts desire.”

Too close. While Fu’s lips wore a smile, those red eyes of his felt like they were trying to look straight into his soul. Could he also read someone’s heart like Hearts could? There was no telling what kind of power he had if he was a demon. They weren’t demons, gods, or mortals . . . it was an interesting concept at least. “I fully intend to do whatever I desire. The only reason I’m here right now is because I want the power of that Universe Seed. I have no use for any of you outside of that.” Zamasu maintained a neutral expression as best he could. Fu was just being weird like always, right? He needed to back away.

“That’s fine with me. I don’t really care if you leave or stay. I’m just interested to see what Hearts will accomplish.” He paused for a moment before lifting a hand to play with the long bit of hair on the right side of Zamasu’s face, “Will he succeed in killing the most powerful being in all of existence? In killing the gods themselves? It would really shake things up, don’t you think?” He brought the hair to his lips, his eyelids falling a bit as he locked eyes with Zamasu.

He was going a bit too far, now. “Are you done with what you needed to do? If so, I’ll be going, now.”

“Going? Where will you go? Back to play with Hearts some more?” Fu released his hold on Zamasu’s hair, but didn’t move from where he was.

“I did no such thing with him! You’re completely mistaken! That bastard put me in his bed when I was asleep and I woke up there! If I’d had any say in the matter, I’d have sooner slept in the dirt outside than share a bed with him!”

“Is that really the case? Was it so horrible?” Fu laughed and tried to lean in even closer, but Zamasu placed a hand on his chest, “Hey, come on. We’re all on the same team.”

“I’m not on anyone’s team. I haven’t agreed to anything, so back off before I blow a hole in your chest.” Zamasu’s eye narrowed sharply as he waited for Fu to move away. This guy was definitely the type who would try to take advantage of someone for his own gain. It was pretty damn bold of him to try and take advantage of an all-powerful god, though. Or perhaps it was more _stupid_ than bold.

Fu pursed his lips before wrapping a hand around Zamasu’s wrist. He didn’t try to pull the god’s hand away from his chest, though. “Would that be a wise choice, Zamasu? I’m the only one who can fix you if you begin to degenerate again. If you kill me, you’re finished. Would you really rather live forever as a deformed monster?” Fu’s red eyes peered over his glasses as they slid slightly down the bridge of his nose.

The god’s blood was boiling at this, but he tried to keep a calm demeanor. Did this bastard really think he could hold that over him to get him to do whatever he wished? “If it means keeping my dignity, then I would gladly become a monster for all eternity. I’d rather step over your dead body and watch my form deteriorate right before my eyes than let you do something _vulgar_ to me.” He stared dead into Fu’s eyes, his own eye narrowed dangerously as he curled the tips of his fingers to dig them into the demon’s chest. “So . . . what will it be?”

Not one to be intimidated, Fu smirked and even laughed a bit. “You’ve got so much fire in you, Kaioshin! I love it!” He released his hold on Zamasu’s wrist before finally backing out of his personal space, “I hope you’ll show me plenty more of that. Oh! Before you go . . . let me get some of your blood. There are a few things I want to test.” As if that whole conversation never even happened, Fu fumbled around excitedly through his supplies before pulling out the tools needed to take a blood sample.

Was he touched in the head? It was impossible to get a true feel for his personality and intentions. Hearts had said the same, hadn’t he? What an odd creature . . . “Make it quick. I’m tired of seeing you.”

“Awww, don’t you miss seeing me all day? Ever since Hearts took you out of here, you spend nearly all of your time with him. Oh! But you don’t like him at all, right?” Fu grinned wider as the god sent him a sharp glare, “Easy, easy, this will be quick.” He hummed a bit as he worked, likely irritating Zamasu even further, “Oh, and . . . if you want a bed of your own, you can take mine.”

“. . . are you seriously still being a disgusting-“

“No, no, no! I mean, I don’t ever use my room here, so you can just take it if you want. I think I’ve slept in that bed maybe twice.” Fu held up the vial of freshly-drawn blood before removing the needle from the god’s arm, “Alright, you’re good to go! If you want the room, just let me know later and I can show you where it is.”

“. . . I see.” Zamasu wasn’t entirely sure he could trust in that. Sleeping in a bed was nice, but who was to say Fu wouldn’t try something if he was by himself? He could probably easily fight him off, but Fu’s apparent scientific knowledge was concerning. Even though is body was immortal, it seemed to respond to different treatments and medicines, so what was stopping Fu from using that for nefarious purposes? “I might take you up on that offer.”

“If you want me to come and keep you warm at night, just let me- oof!”

Zamasu stood from the chair and landed a swift punch directly in Fu’s gut before exiting the lab. “Ugh . . . is this Universe Seed really worth putting up with these bastards?”

“Did Fu give you trouble?”

Slowly turning around, Zamasu found Hearts had been waiting just outside of the lab. “A bit, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.” It wasn’t anything Hearts needed to know about. Zamasu was quite capable of taking care of himself and wanted nothing more than to be left alone unless they needed his assistance with the seed. If it didn’t pertain to the plan to kill the Omni King, he didn’t want any part in it. He’d already done too much by having meals with these mortals. They were acting far too familiar with him.

“I wonder about that.” Hearts folded his arms across his chest, “You are undoubtedly powerful, but we don’t really know what kind of strength Fu has. I don’t think I’ve seen him put any effort into a fight.” Hearts leaned away from the wall, “Hey, do you want to go out somewhere with me?”

“. . . do I _what_?”

“Do you want to leave the base for a bit? This planet is inhabited, but we’re in a fairly desolate area so we aren’t easily found.” Hearts scratched at the back of his head and smiled sheepishly, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I think out of everyone here, you could best appreciate the scenery this planet has to offer.” He’d been thinking about it ever since Zamasu had gone into the lab that morning. He wanted some way to spend time with him away from the others. What could be better than showing him the natural beauty around them? Zamasu loved nature, right?

“The scenery?” Zamasu tilted his head a bit with slight interest, “It is true that I have no idea where we are. I’ve been inside this entire time while the others have gone off on missions.” It would feel good to finally go out and slaughter mortals with them. He’d been feeling lethargic lately and that would surely raise his spirits. “Yes, let’s go see what this planet looks like.” He wouldn’t let his guard down, though. This whole thing sounded like a ploy to get him away from the others so it was just the two of them alone. Hearts’ ki had a powerful aura, but it was no match for Zamasu – assuming, of course, that he was at his full strength at this point.

* * *

The sun was further away than the suns on many of the other planets he’d seen, making for a more dimly-lit landscape with a cooler temperature than he had anticipated. As Hearts had described, the area their hideout was located in was seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The region appeared to be much like a valley. Rolling hills with tall, golden grass . . . it really was lovely. The way each blade of grass bent to the will of the wind, the way he heard nothing but the sound of insects and wildlife, the way the sun kissed the landscape as if plating everything in pure gold . . .

“It’s beautiful.” The words slipped from the god’s lips as he took everything in. The last planet he’d been on was so full of human creations that had been turned to rubble. He hadn’t had a chance to really stop and take in the beauty on any of his stops during his execution of the Zero Mortals Plan.

“Isn’t it?” Hearts couldn’t help but smile softly. He was more interested in watching Zamasu’s eye soften and his ears lay down as he became entranced. “Then you will love what is on the other side of our hideout. It’s difficult to see from certain angles due to the tall vegetation, but . . . well, you’ll see.” Hesitating briefly, Hearts held a hand out to the god. He thought for certain Zamasu would either ignore it or slap it away, but he was proven wrong quickly as Zamasu gently placed his hand in Hearts’ palm. Did he realize what he was doing? He was so busy looking at all of his surroundings, it was possible that he’d taken Hearts’ hand without thinking. No sense in dwelling on it, though. It was best to take full advantage of such opportunities as they presented themselves.

Zamasu’s eye continued to wander as Hearts lead him around the building. At some point he did finally realize he was holding the man’s hand, but he chose not to shake his free. There was something so incredibly familiar about it. When had he ever done something like this? Ah, Zamasu and Black had sometimes held hands when they were alone. It was like that, wasn’t it? Hearts’ hand was larger, though. Still . . . he’d never admit to it, but it felt nice.

“See? Isn’t it- ah . . .” As he’d turned to see Zamasu’s reaction to the lake he’d brought him to, he found the god wasn’t paying attention at all. He was staring right at their hands. Even after Hearts had stopped walking, Zamasu’s gaze did not falter. What was running through his mind right now? His heart was a mix of happiness and sadness, from what Hearts could hear. His expression looked so soft, so full of . . . longing? His ears were still down and his lips were slightly parted as he stared, unblinking, at their joined hands.

What he would give to be able to pull Zamasu’s hand to his lips and kiss each knuckle. What he would give to pull him into his chest and just hold him for a while. What he would give to lay him down on the soft grass by the lake and-

Ah, those kinds of thoughts were dangerous. It was best if he did not let his mind wander further.

“Zamasu . . .” He smiled when he watched the god’s silver eye finally blink, then widen with the realization that he’d spaced out.

“O-oh, I . . . where . . .? Oh!” How long had he been staring like that? He’d lost himself in the memories of Black and Zamasu and had forgotten where he was for a moment. He almost wished Hearts hadn’t interrupted it. Perhaps he could continue those memories in his dreams later that night. “This is . . . a lake?” The water was very calm and quite clear. The surface glittered to match the sunkissed surroundings.

“Mmhmm. A lake.” Hearts couldn’t help but notice that Zamasu still had not pulled his hand free. Was he fine with it, then? “I come out here when the noise inside is too much and I just want to think or even just be alone for a bit.” Finally tearing his eyes away from his companion, Hearts gave his attention to the water. “It’s very quiet out here. You’ll hear animals, insects, the leaves rustling in the wind . . . it’s-“

“-comforting.” Zamasu chose to finish the sentence for him, regardless of what Hearts may have been about to say. “I’d like to come here sometimes.” Now when Fu was acting up again, he could just come out here to get away from him. To get away from all of them. Why would he want to spend any time with mortals?

Again his eye went to the hand that currently held his own. Hearts was a mortal. Why did this mortal think he could so casually touch him like this?

. . . and why was he letting him do it?

“Come on; let’s just sit for a bit.” Hearts reluctantly released his hold on Zamasu’s hand so he could ease himself down on the grass right by the water’s edge. “You can see the fish in the water a bit from this angle.” He had come out here plenty of times himself, but it was nice to have someone at his side who wouldn’t irritate him. He cared for the others in that they were his teammates, but Zamasu was different. Zamasu was someone who he would like to have at his side when he finally took down the Omni King. Someone who he would like to have at his side for, well . . . forever, really. He was quiet, intelligent, attractive . . . he was a god and yet he wasn’t quite like Hearts expected him to be. How had he changed his mind about him so quickly? Wasn’t he supposed to kill Zamasu along with the other gods?

Zamasu’s eyes widened briefly as the hand suddenly let go of his. His own hand felt cold now. It bothered him and he almost felt the need to laugh at how ridiculous that was. Bothered that a mortal had let go of him? Since when did he feel such a way? Having this fused body had surely corrupted his mind as well. Could Fu fix that, too? No, it would be a stupid question to even ask. This was all the fault of those damned Saiyans.

“Sit here? On the ground?” Zamasu furrowed his brows as he stared at the grassy surface. Wouldn’t that be dirty?

“Yeah?” Hearts tilted his head at the god before huffing out a laugh, “What? You’re wearing clothes that are so tattered you’re missing an entire sleeve, yet you’re afraid to get a little dirt on your ass?” He shook his head, unable to stop the smile that stretched across his lips, “Stop acting so spoiled and just sit down already.”

Zamasu grit his teeth as he clenched his hands into fists, “H-how dare you speak to me that way! Are you forgetting who I am, mortal?” He had been far too lenient with his actions and words thus far. How was he still speaking to him so casually?

Hearts waved a hand as if to dismiss him, “What’s this? All this time together and now you want to act so high and mighty? The whole god complex you’ve got isn’t a very cute personality trait.” He removed his glasses and tucked them safely into a coat pocket before staring back up at the god.

“You are treating me as though we are close. It’s inappropriate.” Not cute? Why would he want to be considered _cute_?

“Ehhhh, we aren’t close?” Hearts let out a mocking sigh as he leaned back a bit and propped himself up with his hands.

“We’re not!”

“Hm . . . well I want to be close, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”

Once more, the god furrowed his brows and pursed his lips. What kind of a response was that? This guy was so incredibly infuriating, especially the way he smiled up at him like he knew his words had gotten to him. “You’re awful.” Those red eyes, that two-toned face, the vulgar way he wore just a coat with no shirt underneath . . . this person was most definitely trouble.

“So are you. I guess we’re both just really terrible, aren’t we? I bet there are many people out there who would think so.” Leaning his weight to one side so he could support himself with one hand, Hearts pat the ground beside him with the other hand, “So will you sit, or not? You seemed so calm when we first came out here, so why are you getting so feisty now?”

They were both awful? Perhaps in the eyes of certain gods and mortals. Killing the Omni King would be good for all the universes . . . as would killing all of the gods and mortals. Really it was only nature that was pure and innocent and deserving of life. The gods could not carry out their duties and responsibilities properly and the mortals, well . . . they were a problem of a different sort.

Zamasu finally sat down to the left of Hearts, who scooted closer to him. He was close enough that they were nearly touching.

“Isn’t that too close?” Zamasu turned his head so he could see him with his uncovered eye.

“Is it? I think it’s perfect.” Hearts huffed a laugh, but didn’t bother to look at the god. He knew he was probably irritated. Even so, Zamasu didn’t push him away or move away himself. He stayed right where he was and didn’t say anything else about it. “Zamasu . . . talk to me more about your history. Why do you hate mortals? Why do you want to kill them all?” His smile had faded, but he kept his attention out at the lake.

“. . . what’s with that sort of question? Why do you care?” Once they completed the Universe Seed and killed the king, Zamasu would steal the power of the seed and use it to finish what he’d started. There was no sense in divulging any of his history and intentions with this mortal.

“Fu told me a bit about you. It just . . . it sounded strange, I suppose. An apprentice to a Kaioshin killed his master, stole the body of a powerful mortal, and then fled to a future timeline to wipe out all life? It’s awfully extravagant, isn’t it? Sounds like a work of fiction.” Hearts finally turned to look at Zamasu, who only gave him a blank expression in return.

“What is so extravagant about it? Perhaps you’re just stunned by my meticulous planning and the amount of thought I’d put into my plan.” Zamasu smirked before looking out at the water himself. This scenery really was a nice change from the cold hues of the hideout and lab. “It is the responsibility of us gods to watch over mortals and all of the worlds of the universes. We watch them form, watch them grow, watch them learn . . . and ultimately, we watch the mortals completely destroy themselves and the worlds upon which they live. Again and again and again and again . . .” His voice faded into a defeated sigh. “Why? Why would we only watch as they ruin what was once beautiful and perfect? What purpose do we gods serve if we do not punish the mortals who do evil? What justice is there in letting them run amok and destroy everything? We may as well not even exist if that is the case.”

Hearts’ eyes widened a bit at that statement. He wanted to kill the gods and the Omni King to free the mortals from their oversight and control, and yet here was a god who said the gods did nothing. Which perception was correct?

“When I learned about the Saiyan Son Goku, I realized that was my opportunity to make the change I so desired. I wanted to save all of the worlds across all of the universes. I wanted to let nature reclaim her place and thrive. The gods, the mortals . . . I eliminated them. I was so damn close . . .” Zamasu grit his teeth as he began to shake slightly. “All of that careful planning was wasted! I found the perfect timeline with the perfect scenario! I wiped out the gods and nearly every last mortal! Victory was at the tips of my fingers! And then those Saiyans-!”

Hearts leaned away a bit as Zamasu’s ki suddenly skyrocketed, a large, white, halo-like light emerging behind him as his anger exploded, “Woah, woah! Zamasu!” Did he need to alert Fu to this?

“A-ah . . .” The halo vanished in an instant as Zamasu realized he’d let his anger overwhelm him. “I just . . . they ruined everything.” He reached a hand up to touch the patch over his eye. “Everything.”

“Well . . . maybe we will come across them on our quest to power up the Universe Seed. If so, you can have your revenge on them.” Hearts reached over to pull Zamasu’s hand away from the eyepatch, his other hand gently grasping the god’s chin to turn his face to look at him. “Why don’t you look at it?”

“What?” He was too close again. Why did he always get so close and touch him? Why did his heart beat faster whenever he did?

“Your eye . . . why don’t you look at it for yourself? Forget whatever Fu said. That guy is insane. I’m sure it isn’t nearly as awful as you think it is. Put your worries to rest and just look at it.” The hand on the Kai’s chin slid up his face so he could caress his cheek with his thumb. Zamasu only looked surprised rather than irritated, too. He definitely didn’t hate this sort of attention as much as he let on.

“I . . . I’m just worried he’s right.” He found himself thinking about it so often. What did it look like underneath? Was it really just as Fu had described? What texture was the skin? What shade of yellow was his eye? Would he look like a hideous monster? He had so many different fears that made him terrified to take the patch off.

“But what if it isn’t as bad as it sounds and you’re worrying yourself sick over nothing?” This god, who was supposed to be an extreme narcissist, was incredibly insecure. Perhaps his erasure and then resurrection (or whatever the hell it was that Fu had done to get him here) had changed something about him. Or maybe his mind had deteriorated a bit along with his body. There was no telling, really.

“That is a possibility.” Zamasu closed his eye for a moment to briefly indulge in the feeling of the thumb gently rubbing against his cheek. Black had done something similar to Zamasu many times when he was admiring him. So incredibly nostalgic. That must be why his heart raced and his skin felt hot whenever Hearts touched him like this or got close. He missed that intimacy he’d once had, but there was no way he’d have such a thing with a mortal. How disgusting.

Hearts tilted his head a bit when Zamasu closed his eye. Was he just thinking deeply, or was that an invitation? He hadn’t said a word about the hand on his face or the thumb caressing his cheek, and now he was closing his eye. Didn’t he know that made him too damn tempting? Is that what he wanted?

Slowly, Hearts placed his other hand on Zamasu’s other cheek and began to lean in to capture his lips . . . but Zamasu opened his eye once he felt the other hand and quickly slapped a hand over Hearts’ mouth to stop him.

“W-What are you doing, mortal!?” Zamasu shoved at Hearts’ face as a dark shade of red crossed his cheeks and ears. What did he think he was doing!? Was he really trying to kiss him!? Unacceptable! Vile!

Hearts leaned back and shook his face free of Zamasu’s hand, “A-ah, I guess I wasn’t reading the cues properly . . .” He rubbed at the back of his head and laughed lightly, trying to ignore the mortified expression on Zamasu’s face. Perhaps he would just stick to touching him for now and just work his way up to that.

“Cues? What cues? Explain yourself, mortal!” His face felt incredibly hot, his ears both hanging low in embarrassment. Even though that hand on his face had felt nice, it was best not to let his guard down around this bastard. It was quite clear he had ill intentions. He wasn’t like Fu, at the very least. Fu was much more forward and underhanded . . . Hearts hadn’t done anything truly vulgar against his will. He obviously _wanted_ to do many unspeakable things, yet he hadn’t, at least not from what he knew. There was no telling what truly happened while he was asleep last night.

“You closed your eye, didn’t tell me to stop touching you . . . generally that’s a way to tell the other person to kiss you and to keep going.” He gave the god a sheepish smile before standing up and brushing himself off. “Nevermind it, though. I misunderstood. We should get back. I have some plans I have to continue prep for our mission that I want to discuss with everyone.” He offered Zamasu his hand to help him stand up.

The god was still reeling from what all Hearts had said. He thought he could go further because he hadn’t told him to stop? It was annoying, but it was a reasonable assumption. He had been letting him get away with far too much all for the sake of a love he no longer had. The nostalgia would prove problematic if he didn’t get it under control soon. “A-ah . . . right . . .” The mission. At least Hearts had the common sense to change the subject. He wasn’t an absolute idiot, apparently.

Zamasu reached for Hearts’ hand, but stopped himself from doing so, instead opting to stand on his own. He brushed himself off and walked ahead of the other man to go back into the hideout. The less bodily contact they had, the better. Only what was necessary ought to be tolerated.

Hearts clicked his tongue in disappointment, but didn’t say anything about it. He’d fucked up by trying to go further just now, but hopefully he’d be able to make up for it. He wasn’t sure why he felt so enthralled by this god – perhaps it was simply because he was a god, or perhaps it was how beautiful he was, or perhaps the way he’d shown him a more vulnerable side . . . but maybe it was more of a combination of all of those things. Regardless, he was eager to get closer to him and go further with him. He wanted to touch him, kiss him, fuck him . . . he needed to satisfy these desires eventually.

* * *

Through the meeting with the group, he finally learned their hideout was somewhere in universe six. If his memory served him well, he had met the Saiyans in universe seven. Would that universe be their next target? He had a strong desire to get his revenge as soon as possible. He would not be at ease until he saw their lifeless bodies in front of him. Would it be simple? Would he have the same strength he once had? In theory, he ought to be even stronger, right? Wasn’t he supposed to gain strength each time he faced death? Or . . . did that not apply since he had actually been erased? It was difficult to tell.

That moment out by the lake had been the first time since his apparent resurrection that he’d tapped into his power. He hadn’t thought about it much at the moment since it hadn’t been intentional, but it had felt off. In fact, he’d felt a bit off ever since he’d woke up in this place. It was as though his full strength was being restrained in some way. It wouldn’t serve Hearts well to do something like that, since they’d brought him on their team with the intention of using him for his power, so then was it simply a matter of his recovery not being complete?

During the meeting, he’d also finally met yet another member of the core group – Cumber. There was something so familiar and yet so foreign about him. Fu and Hearts seemed to cast aside any question he asked about the giant man, though. What was it about him that had them so bothered? Even Fu, who was normally just weird and carefree, seemed on edge when Cumber showed up. Was he not supposed to be there? Was he particularly dangerous? He did sense a powerful ki from him, but it didn’t feel like something any of them should worry over . . .

Either way, it was concluded that they would soon finally set their plan into motion to charge up the Universe Seed using energy from several universes. Zamasu was still forbidden to go out with them, though. Fu insisted his recovery was not yet complete and it was best to hold off for a little longer.

“Ohhh? Came to see me yourself?” Fu’s eyes lit up as he glanced over his shoulder to find none other than Zamasu standing in the doorway of his lab. They had all finished dinner not long ago and he hadn’t really seen Zamasu much at all since their awkward encounter after breakfast. He thought for sure the god would avoid him like the plague. “Did you decide to accept my offer after all?” He whirled around in his chair and pulled his glasses off.

“It wasn’t much of an offer, you vulgar demon.” Zamasu didn’t want to come back to the lab by himself, but he didn’t want to stay the night with Hearts again. He didn’t want to share a bed with anyone at all, but he wasn’t about to sleep on that awful lab table or on a couch in a room where anyone could just walk in either. “Though there is one offer I’m taking you up on. Your bed. I want your room.” He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the doorframe.

“Ohhh, right . I’d forgotten about that. Yeah, sure. I never use it anyway.”

Zamasu thought Fu would look disappointed, but instead he was smiling in a manner that made the god a bit uneasy. Was it just because he looked different without his glasses on? Those red eyes instinctively made him anxious, but something about that smile was very off-putting.

“I’ll show you where it is.” Fu walked past the god, but that same smile still played on his lips. Even as he walked down the hall with him and opened the door to the room, Fu did not stop smiling. “Here you go. There’s a bathroom and all that so you can shower or whatever if you want. If you decide it’s cold and lonely, just come get me.” The smile widened to a grin, those red eyes appearing like crescents over his cheeks.

“I’d sooner get on my knees and beg the Omni King to erase me again than so much as _consider_ asking for your companionship in bed.” Just as Fu opened his mouth to more-than-likely say something obscene about him on his knees, the Kai slapped a hand over his mouth to silence him, “Do **_not_** say something disgusting. Hearts has already said enough and you more than crossed the line earlier today. I’m beyond tired of all-“ The god gasped and shuddered, yanking his hand away quickly after feeling something warm and wet cross his palm. “D-did you just-“

“I licked your hand.” Fu laughed at the Kaioshin’s reaction before licking his lips to disturb the god further, “You’re delicious.”

“Get out.” Zamasu was practically shaking with anger and disgust. This bastard was the worst creature he’d ever had the displeasure of interacting with!

“Aww, come on, Zam-“

“Get. Out!” He clenched his fists by his sides, his aura beginning to manifest as his anger rose higher and higher. There it was again, though. That feeling that there was an invisible ceiling where he could not raise his power any higher. What was going on?

Fu only held up his hands and laughed again, “Alright, alright, sheeeeeesh. I’m going. But in all seriousness, I’ll be in the lab if you need anything during the night. Maybe I can bring you something that will help you sleep.”

“I don’t need anything.”

Saying nothing further, Fu just flashed that weird grin of his before exiting the room and closing the door behind him.

“I don’t understand him at all. There’s something about him that is incredibly troublesome. He is most certainly a demon, but that can’t be the reason for these strange vibes I’m getting from him. Fu is a very chaotic individual.” Staring at the door for a moment longer, Zamasu finally turned his attention to the bed in the room. Much like Hearts’ room, this room also looked completely unused. The bed was neatly made and there weren’t any personal belongings to be found. Though, Fu had that entire lab for his things . . . what about Hearts? Did he have nothing?

Had Hearts also just woke up here one day?

Something about that thought made the god’s eye widen considerably and a chill run down his spine. Was Fu collecting them together? Hearts had made it sound as though all of this was his idea, but . . . was it really?

“Why am I thinking about something so strange? I must have eaten too much at dinner.” Even though he didn’t need food to live, he did need it to keep his strength up and his body functioning at its highest potential. Still, he most certainly ate significantly more now than he had before he’d fused. Black had also eaten quite a lot, so it was most likely due to the Saiyan body. “How obnoxious. Of course Saiyans would be ravenous creatures who gorge themselves with food.” The god scoffed as he sat down on the bed to pull his boots off.

It was early, having just finished dinner not long before, but what else could he do at this hour? It would be nice to simply lie awake for a while and contemplate what all had happened and what all he wanted going forward, but most importantly it would be nice to just get away from everyone for the evening. For the first time since he had arrived, he finally had a space of his own. He could have gone back outside to the spot Hearts had shown him earlier, but what was stopping Hearts or anyone else from joining him if he went out there?

After pulling off his boots and setting them off to the side, he stood up once more to remove his waist band and coat, folding them both neatly and placing them atop a chest of drawers in the room. Like the other room, this one also had a floor-length mirror. It seemed they were all laid out identically. What kind of place was this? Who built it? Then again, it didn’t matter.

“Maybe I should fix at least my shirt.” He eyed the missing sleeve with the tattered edges. “Though the reason it’s missing is because my body had become so corrupted.” And for what? No, no, best not to go down that route of thinking again. He’d cried himself to sleep like some kind of pathetic bastard yesterday when he began to think that way. “I have to move forward. If this Universe Seed is as powerful as they make it out to be, then this is the group I ought to stay with . . . for now.”

He continued to stare at himself in the mirror, his hand reaching up to lightly touch the eyepatch. It would be best to remove it when no one else was around, right? If it looked awful, he likely would not be able to hold back his emotion. He’d managed to get upset yesterday without anyone seeing him, so he wanted to keep it that way. These bastards did not deserve to see him in such a weak and vulnerable state. “I can’t let my guard down around them for even a moment.” Though he’d already done it so many times around Hearts.

“You really can’t, can you?”

The sudden voice startled the god, causing him to jump a bit as he turned to the door. Ah, he’d forgotten to lock it. “Fu . . . why are you back?” Just having him around made him anxious. It was such a foreign feeling that he couldn’t really describe. “Get out.” Still, he tried to maintain a calm demeanor. Fu would get a big head if he knew he made the god nervous.

“I told you I’d bring something to help you sleep, didn’t I?” The demon waved a syringe, a smirk playing on his lips just like before.

A syringe? “I don’t need it. I’m not going to sleep just yet.” Zamasu held his hand a bit out to his side, ready to produce a ki blade at a moment’s notice in case this bastard was up to no good. Perhaps taking him up on his offer to use his room was a poor decision after all. “Get out and stay out.”

“Ehhhhh? Is that really any way to speak to someone who helped you? I fixed your corruption, nursed you back to consciousness, allowed you to use my room . . . I even keep treating you while you are so rude to me.” The smirk faded as he took a couple steps forward, but stopped a few feet away. “Why are you so tense? I’m only trying to help you, Zamasu. Just sit down on the bed and let me help you relax.”

“I don’t owe you anything for that! It was your own choice to help me! Do not act as though it was done out of charity! You brought me here and mended me for your own purposes!” He could feel his body begin to shake with anger and uncertainty. What was he after? What was really in that syringe? He would not succumb to something like a poison, so then what was it? Something to help him sleep . . . something to weaken him?

“That’s true. I brought you because you’re immortal. You’ll be a great asset for Hearts’ cause, but . . . I really want to do some experiments of my own on you. It can’t hurt you, right? So can’t I just . . . try a few things?” He took a few more steps forward, but stopped again when Zamasu produced a ki blade. “Oh no!” His exclamation was dripping with sarcasm as he smiled from ear to ear, “You are powerful, great god Zamasu, but so am I. Besides . . . you aren’t quite back up to the level of your former self. You can feel it, can’t you?”

Experiments? Couldn’t he have simply done those before he was conscious? Why wait until now? “Are _you_ the reason I’m not at my full strength?”

“Huh?” Fu furrowed his brows, “What are you implying? Why would I want to weaken you? I can’t wait to see you at full power! It’ll be a treat!” He practically beamed as he dared to take another step, now in very close proximity to the Kaioshin.

So he wasn’t purposely weakening him? Perhaps it truly was just a matter of a lengthy recovery time . . . understandable, really, given what his body had been put through. “You’re too close.”

“Am I?”

“You are.”

“You’re shaking, Zamasu.” That happy grin darkened as Fu stared down his nose at the god, “I can fix that, too.”

“Back away or I’ll have no choice but to hurt you. I’d rather not do so, since you seem to be an integral part of this operation, however . . . I also will not let you simply do as you please.” He ignored Fu’s comment about his shaking. He could feel it in his hands and his legs. Why was his body behaving this way? It had to have been his body’s instinctive response. He surely did not fear Fu. That substance in the syringe, however . . . that could certainly prove problematic.

“Of course I didn’t expect you to _let_ me do anything. That’s what this is for.” He nodded to the syringe before chuckling, “Oops, I guess the charade is up, huh? So then . . . you can try to fight me if you want, but I guarantee you won’t win.”

“You’re awfully confident.”

“I know my own strength. I also know you’re severely underestimating me. You shouldn’t do that, you know. That’s what got you destroyed by those Saiyans.”

Zamasu’s eye twitched at the mentioning of his unforeseen defeat by those bastards on Earth. “Get out! I am not playing with you!”

“But _I_ want to play with _you_ , Zamasu! Just a few experiments and then I’ll leave you be! It’s really that simple.”

“. . . what kind of experiments are you after?” The ki blade vanished as he clenched his hands into fists. This was beyond irritating. If it was something simple enough, it may be worth it to just go through with it to get him to leave. He’d be sure to lock the door from now on.

“Oh, nothing too crazy.” He pulled out a cap and put it on the syringe before tucking it into his back pocket. “If you’re good, I won’t use that. All you have to do is just follow my lead.” Fu approached the god with great confidence before placing his hands on the Kai’s shoulders. “Just relax. You’re so tense!” Fu began to rub at his shoulders, smirking all the while.

“I already don’t like this.” Zamasu glanced to the side to see one of the hands. Fu was up to no good, that much was certain. Hearts had insisted he wasn’t bad, that he was just weird, but . . . Fu was a demon. He couldn’t fathom a demon that wasn’t even the slightest bit evil. “Do an experiment that doesn’t require you to touch me in any way.”

“That’s . . . a bit unreasonable, don’t you think?” Fu arched a brow before abruptly shoving Zamasu against the mirror that hung on the wall just behind him, “Maybe you don’t like it now, but I think you’ll quickly find it thrilling, _Lord Zamasu_.” He practically laughed as he said the god’s name, taking great amusement in the bewildered expression on his face. “What’s wrong? You don’t trust me?” He leaned in closer to Zamasu’s face, his breath ghosting over the other’s skin.

“Wh-who do you think you are!?” He’d had enough intimate experiences through Zamasu and Goku Black to have a strong hunch about what it was Fu was after. There was absolutely no way he was going to let him get away with it! “Is your desire to die really that strong, demon!?” Zamasu grit his teeth as he slammed both hands against Fu’s chest to knock him away . . . and it worked far better than he had anticipated. The demon was knocked backward by several steps, but . . . but he was still grinning like a fool.

“Oh no! You’re just too powerful! I won’t let you escape me, Zamasu! I just want to do _this_ and _that_ with you!” The demon reached back to his pocket to retrieve the syringe he’d tucked there just moments ago, “Didn’t I say you need to be good?”

Had he backed off on purpose? The way he was speaking sounded so fake and mocking. “Are you fucking with me!?” What was his goal? What was he really after with all of this?

“Who knows?” He popped the cap off the needle and pushed on the plunger to squirt a bit of the liquid out of the tip, “Why don’t you hold still and find out?” He licked his lips before taking a few slow steps. Zamasu did not move from his spot. “Oh? Have you changed your mind, then?”

“Is this your experiment? How I will react to this?” It irritated him how nervous he felt, especially considering it may all be part of an act. Why, though? Was this all just a fun game for him?

“Heh, if you want to think of it that way, then sure. I want to see how you will react to everything. It’s all so interesting. I want to see your expressions and I want to see how your body handles different forms of trauma.”

Trauma? “You can see all of that without trying to drug me with whatever that is.” Zamasu remained in place, but readied himself to make a break for the door if need be. He wanted so badly to just blast this bastard, but it was in his best interest at this point in time to keep him alive. Still, if it came down to it, he would do whatever he needed to do to keep his pride in tact . . . or, what was left of his pride, at least.

“Can I? I doubt you’d let me do whatever I wanted.” Tired of the chatter, Fu lunged toward the Kai, brandishing his sword in his free hand to try and use it to pin him to the wall, but Zamasu dodged it swiftly and the sword was instead lodged into the wall. “Oh? Running away?” Fu chuckled as he watched Zamasu flee the room, taking off after him once he pulled his sword back out and put it away.

Though he gave chase, he wasn’t actually moving quick enough to catch him. “Wherever you go, I’ll just follow. It’s not like you have anywhere to return to, Zamasu.” It was fun to tease him and watch as his panic grew and grew. The almighty god who saw himself above all other beings was running away. Didn’t he feel pathetic? Fu would certainly have had sex with him if Zamasu hadn’t run off, but his intention was really to lead him back to Hearts. His curiosity had gotten the better of him and when he heard that Zamasu wanted a separate room, he couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed. How could he get Zamasu and Hearts to stay together again? He had mulled it over for a moment, but quickly came up with a solution – he needed to make him afraid to be alone.

“I’ll be gentle, you know.” He continued to tease the god, chuckling when he saw him glance back over his shoulder with an angry expression, “That body hasn’t experienced anything yet, right?” He picked up his pace a bit and watched as Zamasu also moved faster, his head turning this way and that, anxiously trying to figure out where to go. Had it really not occurred to him yet?

Where? Where? Where could he go? All of the doors were closed down each hall and he had no idea what was behind each one. If he happened upon a closet or bathroom or other small space, it would be a problem. That syringe made him nervous, but Fu’s statement about strength had him far more worried. His own strength wasn’t up to where it used to be and he had no idea just how strong Fu was. Could he overpower him in this state? He’d rather not be put into a position to find out.

“You won’t touch me!” No one had touched this body in that way. Black and Zamasu had been very intimate, but that was it. Really, he was touching himself in a way. As if he would allow a mortal or a demon to do something so vulgar! It was only clean and beautiful and divine if done by the gods! Though he wasn’t certain what all Hearts had done last night . . .

Ah! Hearts!

Perking up, Zamasu rounded a corner and broke out into a full run in the direction where he could sense Hearts. He could go to him! He could stay the night with him! Hearts definitely would not mind his presence and he would understand if he explained the situation. Hearts also seemed put-off by Fu. The whole point of getting his own room was so he didn’t have to sleep with Hearts, but apparently fate decided otherwise.

Fu tilted his head a bit when the god suddenly took off. Had he finally realized where he could go? “Oh! Where are you going, Lord Zamasu?” His mocking tone rang through the hall as he also took off running after giving the Kai a bit of a head-start. He was definitely headed for Hearts’ room.

As he reached the door, Zamasu grabbed hold of the knob, but found it was locked. “No . . . no! Hearts!” He pounded on it with one fist as he tried to catch his breath, “Hearts! Open this door!!” He glanced back down the hall to see the demon quickly approaching, a knowing grin stretched across his face.

“Locked? What bad luck!” Hopefully Hearts would answer, though. He didn’t want to actually do anything to Zamasu. He’d have sex with him if he could ever get him to agree to it, but he wasn’t so awful that he’d force himself on him. That being said, it would really put him in an awkward position if he caught up to the Kai and Hearts didn’t open the door. What to do . . .?

“Hearts!” Zamasu’s voice cracked as he yelled at the door, raising his fist to beat hard on it just before the door suddenly swung open. “It’s about damn time, you bas-“ Zamasu was cut off as Hearts quickly grabbed hold of him and pulled him close just as Fu finally reached the door.

“Ah, damn . . . well you have to leave this room eventually, you know.” Fu continued his taunting tone, winking at Hearts when he saw the man glaring sharply at him. “We’ll just play tomorrow instead.” With Zamasu now pulled into Hearts’ chest in a way that he couldn’t see what Fu was doing, the demon locked eyes with Hearts and mouthed the words ‘you’re welcome’ before turning and walking back down the hall.

You’re welcome? Hearts furrowed his brows, but shut and locked the door once Fu was gone. What the hell was going on? “Hey, he’s gone now.” Zamasu was shaking against him. Did he realize that? What had him so bothered that he would run to him and so desperately try to get into his room? What exactly had Fu said to him?

“A-ah . . . good.” Zamasu pulled away and checked the knob to make sure it was locked before leaning up against the wall beside it. “That bastard . . . how strong is he?”

“What?”

“How strong is he? Is he more powerful than I am?”

“That’s . . . I don’t really know. I’ve not really seen him fight anyone.” Hearts folded his arms across his chest, “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“I suppose I owe you at least that much . . .” Zamasu sighed as he leaned away from the wall and went to have a seat on Hearts’ bed. It was only now that he realized Hearts wasn’t wearing his glasses, gloves, or his coat, “Shouldn’t you put a shirt on at least? How indecent.”

“You barged into **_my_** room and you’re going to try and tell me how I ought to be dressed? You can go back with Fu if you want to act that way.” Hearts pursed his lips, but he did feel a bit bad for that comment when he saw the Kai visibly stiffen. “Talk to me. What happened?”

The god huffed and turned his face away from Hearts. Something about seeing him mostly undressed just felt so wrong. It was strange and he didn’t like it. He most definitely didn’t like it at all. “He had told me earlier that he doesn’t use his room here, so I could have it. It is true that when I was staying in the lab, I usually saw him sleeping right there at the desk. I took him up on the offer. It would be nice to have a space of my own. I can’t think for even a moment with all of the noise, be it from Fu, you, or those children.” The man Cumber didn’t really say much of anything and he usually didn’t come around Zamasu for whatever reason, so he didn’t really mind him much.

“Sounds normal enough.” Hearts slowly made his way over to the bed and sat down on it, but made sure there was a decent amount of space between himself and Zamasu.

“I was undressing and got lost in thought and forgot to lock the door. After leaving me, Fu had come back with a syringe of something. He kept insisting it would help me sleep. I repeatedly declined the offer, but he made it quite clear that I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. He started mentioning something about experiments and . . .” Zamasu furrowed his brows and shook his head, his hands gripping at the bedsheets on either side of him. “I don’t really know what his intentions were. I considered attacking him, but he kept mentioning how I don’t know his true strength and how I am not yet as strong as I once was . . . I wasn’t sure if I should gamble on that or if I should simply run.”

“I suppose you chose to run, then.” Hearts inched a bit closer. His instinct was telling him to reach out and place his hand atop Zamasu’s hand, but he knew better. Especially after an encounter such as that, he wouldn’t want someone touching him right now. “I wish I could say that Fu wouldn’t have done anything and that he was just playing with you, but . . . I don’t honestly know.” He had seen what Fu mouthed to him and it seemed as though his intention had simply been to lead Zamasu back here, but . . . why would he do that? “I don’t understand that man at all.”

“That makes two of us.” Was Fu weaker than Hearts? Why would he give up because he was with Hearts? What was with that mocking tone he’d been using? Why had he been so slow to follow him at the beginning? He wanted to say he was messing with him, but at the same time it was difficult to be certain about that. “At least for tonight, I’m taking your bed.”

“That’s fi- wait, what?! I don’t think so.” Hearts sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his hair, “If you’re so dead-set on not sharing a bed with me, then you can take the floor.”

“You expect a god like me to sleep on the floor?” Zamasu finally turned back to face him, his eyes widening a bit upon realizing how close Hearts had gotten. Did this man not have a single bit of decency in his body? Only wearing pants, his hair disheveled, and now he was sitting in his personal space. How unsightly.

“Absolutely. You’re no better than I am, regardless of what you might think.” Hearts threw Zamasu a glare, but it faltered quickly when he caught a glimpse of the light red tint on the god’s cheeks. Was he blushing? “Oh? What’s the matter, supreme god Zamasu? Your cheeks look a bit red.” Grinning now, he leaned in closer, “I guess you aren’t as disgusted with my appearance as you let on, huh?”

“I came here to get away from this behavior.” Zamasu was far from amused. Fu had been coming on to him like this and so he’d come to Hearts for help. Where could he go if it wasn’t safe here, either?

“A-ah. Right. I’m sorry. I was only trying to tease you, but it’s bad timing.” Hearts stood from the bed to move away from him. “I wouldn’t do anything against your will.”

“You really expect me to trust you?”

“I didn’t tell anyone about you crying yesterday. That’s something, isn’t it?”

Zamasu felt his breath catch in his throat, “Y-you . . .”

“I could hear you through the door, but I didn’t want to disturb you or embarrass you by walking in. I didn’t tell anyone and I don’t think anyone else heard.” Those sobs had been so full of pain and emotion. Zamasu showed off a tough exterior, but he was actually quite fragile, wasn’t he? He’d been through a lot and his mental state didn’t seem all that stable. “I won’t tell anyone about that, okay? The secret is safe with me.”

“. . .” Zamasu stared down at the floor, moving his feet a bit against the carpet. “. . . thank you.” The words were quiet as he was hesitant to say them. Thanking a mortal . . . it wasn’t exactly something he was accustomed to, but he felt he should at least do that much for not outing his moment of weakness.

“Oh? What was that?” Hearts grinned, laughing softly when the god grumbled in response, “I heard you, I heard you. You’re welcome, Zamasu. You can tell me anything and I’ll keep it secret. If you need to cry, you can cry in front of me and I will not think any less of you for it. Anything you need to talk about, to divulge, even if it is just rambling . . . I’ll listen.” When had he become such a person? This wasn’t like him at all. “That being said, I still am not going to give up my bed for you. So either you sleep on the floor, or you share the bed with me.” To be so kind to a god of all things . . . why did he feel that this one was so special?

“Tch. I’d rather sleep on the floor, if that is the case.” That wasn’t really true, though. He wouldn’t dare admit it out loud, but his body was craving the warmth and touch of another. His body missed those nights when Zamasu and Black would snuggle up underneath the bedsheets after a long day of cleansing the universes. He missed it far more than he wanted to think he did. Never again, though.

Hearts sighed and shook his head, “Your heart is awfully noisy tonight, isn’t it?”

That again. “Mind your business, mortal.” He couldn’t truly read someone’s desires, could he? That was ridiculous.

“If I was cruel, I’d make you tell me properly what it is that you want, but . . . I’m feeling rather generous tonight. Fu put you through a lot of trouble. Just lie down in the bed and don’t fuss about it.” He wanted to be held. There was a certain level of innocence to that. Were all gods truly like this, or was he special because he’d fused with a mortal body?

He wanted to yell at Hearts, tell him he was a pervert, insist that he was just trying to get him to sleep with him. He couldn’t make the words come out, though. Hearts knew. Hearts knew what it was his body and his heart were craving. He hated it more than he could ever say, but . . . it was pretty damn convenient that Hearts could hear his wishes without him suffering the embarrassment of proclaiming them out loud.

A smile tugged at the corners of Hearts lips as he went to turn on the bathroom light and pull the door to, then walked around to the other side of the bed to crawl under the sheets. “Well?” Hearts reached up and placed his hand on the god’s back, using his fingers to massage him through his shirt. He could feel the powerful muscles beneath the fabric just like last night. What did his body look like underneath?

“Don’t touch me . . .” He meant to have more anger and command behind those words, but yet again his voice was failing him. That hand felt nice. It was like the warmth from his fingertips stretched out far beyond them. The way his hand worked lightly at his muscles was nice, too. This body had never experienced such things, but he could remember what Zamasu and Black had done. Why did he have to be without?

Did he really _have_ to deny himself of such luxuries?

“That wasn’t very convincing, Zamasu.” Hearts slid the hand from Zamasu’s back to his exposed upper arm, “Come on, lie down.” He wanted to ask him to remove his shirt, but that would be going too far for now. Maybe once he was a bit more comfortable. Even though Zamasu’s heart desired this kind of activity, he was still highly conflicted and anxious about it. Hearts was a mortal. He was conflicted for this reason and Hearts couldn’t be upset with him for it. His own heart was conflicted because Zamasu was a god. Funny how two beings who hated the other would be in such a situation.

All rules had exceptions, didn’t they?

How had it come to this? Zamasu found himself slowly turning and sliding up underneath the covers, lying on his side to face Hearts. He was willingly getting under bedsheets with a mortal. Unlike Black, whose body was mortal, this mortal did not have the soul of a god within him. Still, he’d be lying to himself if he dared to think he hated the arms that were now wrapping themselves around him. He’d be lying if he dared to think the chest he was now pulled against was hideous. Even with the scars that marred his body and the mismatched colored skin on his face . . . was it okay if he thought this mortal was a bit handsome?

“I must be quite tired even though it isn’t late.” His heart was pounding hard in his chest and he was certain his hands were shaking a bit as he placed them against Heart’s skin.

“Hm? Why do you say that?” Hearts spoke softly, amazed that the god did not protest even the slightest bit when he held him close. Was he imagining the arms and chest of his former lover instead?

“Because I have all sorts of unimaginable thoughts running through my mind right now. These thoughts surely are not my own. Even allowing a mortal to be this close to me . . . it’s quite unlike me.” His words sounded so uncertain. Did he even realize his own fingers were slowly moving across Hearts’ chest as if studying every dip and curve of his skin? He was staring right at his hand as he did it, yet he didn’t seem to notice at all. Or if he did notice, he didn’t care to stop himself.

“Or perhaps you’re not quite the same being you once were. Your body and mind have been through hell. It’s fine to accept being close to someone, even if that someone is a mortal.” Hearts slid a hand up to rest it on Zamasu’s cheek, his fingers reaching to play with his potara a bit.

“I’d rather you not touch my face . . .”

“Then swat my hand away and I’ll stop.”

But he didn’t. Zamasu didn’t move at all except to turn his eye to look into Hearts’ eyes. The room was very dimly lit from the bathroom light, yet that beautiful silver eye still managed to reflect it slightly. How was it that this god was so sassy and difficult to handle during the day, but the moment he got him in his bed and in his arms he became so docile and complacent?

“If it feels nice, then let it happen. You don’t have to fight me just because I’m not a god. Isn’t that exhausting? Isn’t it lonely to not have any allies?” Hearts lightly caressed his cheek with his thumb. He felt the hand on his chest stop moving and curl into a fist. Had he said something that upset him?

“Lonely?” Zamasu pursed his lips. “It is. Zamasu and his future self were the perfect allies. The same intentions, the same ideals, the same sense of justice . . . and lovers . . . they had a magnificent future seemingly laid out for them.” His voice trailed off at the end and he didn’t continue, instead only sighing deeply.

“That is why you should surround yourself with powerful allies and build a beautiful future in their place. They are you, after all. The future I seek to create will be miraculous. Won’t you see it to the end with me, Zamasu?” Why did he feel nervous asking something so simple?

“I don’t really understand what you’re asking me . . . go to sleep already.”

“Right, sorry . . . goodnight, Zamasu.” Hearts used the hand that was on Zamasu’s cheek to pull his bangs way from his face and lightly kiss the part of his forehead that wasn’t covered by the eyepatch.

“W-what did you just-“

“Tomorrow, let’s take this eyepatch off finally.”

“Don’t change the sub-“

“You can do it in here if you want, so the others don’t see.” He chuckled when he heard the frustrated grumbling from the god. Still, Zamasu did nothing to try and leave the bed or push away from him. In fact, the Kai actually snuggled closer to him a bit. It was likely a subconscious movement, but still . . . it felt nice to know that Zamasu was at least comfortable enough with him to stay. He had seemed legitimately fearful of Fu earlier, so why was he not fearful of him right now? Did he actually trust him to some extent? “Do you trust me, Zamasu?”

“Trust you?”

“Sleeping so close to me voluntarily . . . you must actually trust me.”

“. . . I still have my suspicions. Who is to say you won’t do something obscene once I go to sleep?” After Fu’s actions a bit ago and Hearts’ constant vulgar and perverse comments, he could not help but be a bit leery. Even so, he did trust Hearts more than the others here. Perhaps it is because he’d spent so much time with him when he was first conscious. Hearts had done quite a lot to help him. Even now, he’d kept secret the fact that Zamasu had been a weak, crying, mess just yesterday. He’d earned at least a bit of trust from all of that.

“And who is to say you won’t kill me in my sleep?”

“. . . what reason would I have to do such a thing?” It was true that he could easily kill any of them in the middle of the night, assuming they let their guard down, but he needed them in order to power up the Universe Seed and take out the Omni King.

“You want to kill all mortals, do you not? Or rather, you want to kill anyone who is not yourself. That’s what I’ve heard, anyhow.” Fu was telling the truth, right? It would be nice if Zamasu had given up on such an endeavor, but he knew better than to get his hopes up.

“That is true, but . . . I need you all alive to help get rid of the Omni King. I can resume my Zero Mortals Plan once he has been taken care of.” With the most powerful being out of the picture, it should be a simple task to complete his plan in this timeline.

Something about Zamasu’s words made Hearts’ chest feel a bit tight, “Ah, I see. So you’re keeping us alive until you get what you want?” Perhaps it was not a matter of trust after all, but rather that he felt it was a necessity.

“What? Is it not the same for you? You, who wants to kill the gods . . . did it not occur to you that I am a god? I’m sure you only brought me on to assist you with powering up the seed. I doubt you will hesitate to kill me once we’ve reached our goal.”

Zamasu was right. That was absolutely his original intention. Zamasu was brought on to be a powerful ally so they could power up the seed. Once he’d gained the power needed to kill the gods and the king of the gods, Hearts was going to kill Zamasu first as a show of his power. Now, though . . . now he wasn’t so certain. “That may have been my original plan, but . . . well, I suppose it will be interesting to see whose side history falls on.” Huffing a bit, Hearts ran a hand through his own hair before rolling over so his back was facing the Kai. “Goodnight, Zamasu.”

Why? Why did it bother him so much to hear Zamasu say those things with such a blank expression on his face? If his intention was to kill their team once the seed was powered up, perhaps they needed to come up with a plan to prevent him from taking it. He could only hope that Zamasu would change his mind after some time had passed. It was ignorant of him to think his ideals would have dissipated when his hatred ran so deeply.

Zamasu stared at Hearts’ back, confused as to what had just happened. Hearts seemed quite put-off by what he’d said, but weren’t they both truly enemies? Hearts wanted to kill the gods and he wanted to kill the mortals. Couldn’t they simply get rid of both? Unless . . . was Hearts trying to free the mortals or something?

The god furrowed his brows at that thought. How annoying would that be? Hearts never did explain to him his reason for wanting to kill the Omni King. Was that the reason? “Goodnight, Hearts.” Oh well. He was tired and all of this mess was only exhausting him further. It could wait until the morning.


	3. Chapter Three

That night, Zamasu dreamt of his previous life. He saw the world through the eyes of Zamasu. They were in their cabin, rambling on about their plan and their life that was about to unfold. They sounded like dreamers, completely carefree and so certain of themselves. They were so close to completing their plan! Everything was perfect! Nothing could go wrong!

It was painful to listen to now, knowing what he knew.

Even still, the way Black reached out to lightly caress his face felt so nice. His black eyes almost reassured him that it would all work out, that everything would turn out the way that it should. He was powerful and cunning, and handsome . . . and his voice was low and alluring. Zamasu had hung on every word, his own hands reaching up to rest on Black’s shoulders.

They were perfect together. Who better to spend an eternity with than with oneself?

Black’s thumb ran across his lower lip. Black’s mouth was moving, but suddenly no words were coming out. What was he saying? He wanted to hear his voice again. Why was it silent now? No! Was it going to end already? It felt like it had just begun! Why couldn’t he have more lovely dreams with them? He wanted to be part of that world again! That carefree and perfect world!

“Zamasu . . . Zamasu!” He couldn’t even hear his own voice. He reached a hand out to try and touch his lover, but his hand went right through him, causing Black to vanish and the world around him to collapse just before he opened his eye . . . back to the real world.

Hearts loomed over him, his brows turned upward with apparent concern. The man’s hands were on Zamasu’s shoulders, “Are you awake now?” His voice was low, smooth . . . it was not the same as the voice of Black, but it was pretty nice in its own way. Why was he concerned, though? He should just mind his own business.

“I . . . I am.” He didn’t want to be awake. He’d give anything to go back to sleep and fall back into that dream. Would he see it again tonight? Perhaps he could see the world from Black’s eyes next time. He wanted to see the beautiful face he used to have. “I’m awake.”

“You were whining in your sleep and seemed distressed. I wasn’t going to wake you, but. . .”

So Hearts was the bastard who woke him? “Then why did you? I wanted to see him . . .”

“See him?” Hearts tilted his head, “Were you dreaming of the two Zamasus again?” He was quite stuck on the past, wasn’t he? Well, it wasn’t so long ago that he had become a fusion, right? It must be strange to have the memories of two people within his one mind. “I didn’t mean to wake you from that. I’m sorry.” Why did he sound so upset, then? Wouldn’t a dream like that be a happy dream? Well, whatever.

“Is it time for breakfast?” Zamasu was very tempted to simply roll over and try to go back to sleep. He wanted to feel that gentle hand against his skin again. He wanted someone to get as close as Black would get. He always forgot just how much he missed that intimacy until he remembered what Black and Zamasu had.

“No. I think it will be a while yet before it’s ready. I think the twins are helping cook this time. They wanted Fu to teach them.” Fu . . . he needed to have a talk with him about what exactly he was up to last night. Zamasu had been shaken by it last night, but he’d know for certain the extent of it once he saw the two of them interact today.

“So you woke me for nothing, then?” He didn’t even bother to glare at the man. Instead, he simply stared up at him with a tired eye . . . though his gaze fell to the man’s chest and the large scars that crossed it. What an interesting creature he was. Dual-toned skin, red eyes, large scars . . . what was his story? Not that it mattered. It did pique his curiosity a bit, though.

“I didn’t wake you up for no-“ Hearts smirked when he realized the god was no longer staring at his face. He sat there in silence for a moment, allowing Zamasu to eye him in awkward silence. “If you’re that distracted by my chest, you should see the rest of me.”

“Excuse me?” Scarlet quickly tinted the god’s cheeks and ears as he snapped out of his daze and turned an angry eye back to the other man’s face.

“You were staring, so I figured I’d offer up a little extra.” Hearts leaned down over top of Zamasu, taking pleasure in the way the god’s glare faltered and he looked more nervous than anything else. This was highly inappropriate, given last night’s occurrences, but . . . he couldn’t help himself. “Red looks good on you, Zamasu.” There were so many vulgar things he could say and suggest, but he left it at that one comment as he moved a hand to caress the god’s cheek.

Too close! Hearts was too close to him again! Who did he think he was? Leaning over him, making such a suggestive comment, touching his face like that! Touching his face . . . he had such large hands, much like Black. His hands were a little rough, too. The way he ran his thumb over his cheek bone . . . it was really similar, wasn’t it? Was his skin still just as soft as Zamasu’s skin had been? Did he find him just as beautiful?

Curiously, Zamasu didn’t swat his hand away or yell anything at him at all. Instead, he reacted quite oppositely from what Hearts expected. Zamasu’s eye went blank and the muscles in his face relaxed. His whole body seemed to relax, in fact. “Zamasu?”

“Am I still beautiful?”

“W-What?” What was with that question so suddenly? Why would he ask him something like that?

“Am I . . . still beautiful? Even though . . . even though . . .” Zamasu’s eye narrowed a bit as his lips began to quiver.

“A-ah, wait . . . are you . . .?” As if to answer Hearts’ unasked question, a tear escaped the Kai’s eye and slipped down his cheek, onto Hearts’ hand that still held onto him. “Hey . . .” Why did it pain him to see that? This proud and narcissistic god . . . why was he so self-conscious now? Was he really so worried about his appearance? No . . . perhaps it was more that his marred appearance reminded him of his immense failure to achieve his goal. “Don’t cry, Zamasu. I’m not sure what to do . . .” What should he say? Should he just let him cry? Should he hold him? Should he leave?

Hearts pressed his forehead against Zamasu’s, causing the god to widen his eye a bit. “I’m not sure who you’re really asking. Are you asking me, or are you asking someone in your head? Who are you seeing right now?” The question had been so out of the blue. “Well, whether you want to hear these words from me or not. . .” Hearts wiped Zamasu’s eye with his thumb, “Yes, you’re still beautiful. I don’t really know what you looked like before, but. . . right now you are beautiful. You are very beautiful.”

“. . .” Zamasu didn’t say anything, but he continued to stare right into Hearts’ eye as he slowly lifted a hand to rest it over Hearts’ hand and hold tightly onto it.

Did he want to hear more? “Your skin is soft, your eye is like silver, your hair is like satin . . . your voice is smooth and sultry . . .” Why was he saying all of this? The words just rolled off his tongue by a will of their own. Zamasu was beautiful, so it was fine to tell him so, wasn’t it? If this was what he wanted to hear, he could tell him all day long.

Zamasu lifted his other hand and hesitantly buried it in Hearts’ hair on the back of his head. His heart was racing and his mind was a mess. He shouldn’t accept such words from a mortal. He shouldn’t allow a mortal to touch him and get as close as Hearts was right now. But his words were wonderful. His gentle touch was welcome. How could he push him away when it all felt so good?

He allowed his eye to slip closed. What was it that he wanted to happen now? He could feel Hearts’ breath mingling with his own. Their faces were so close with the other man’s forehead pressed against his. He could feel Hearts’ other hand rest on his other cheek. What would he do now?

_“You closed your eye, didn’t tell me to stop touching you . . . generally that’s a way to tell the other person to kiss you and to keep going.”_

No, he knew what he would do. Was it okay?

The moment Zamasu’s eye closed, Hearts froze for a moment. Was that permission to keep going this time? It was surprising, but he couldn’t take too long to think about it. How long would such an opportunity last? Not wanting Zamasu to suddenly change his mind, Hearts began to close the gap to kiss him. . .

. . . but was interrupted by a very loud and abrupt knocking on the bedroom door.

It took every ounce of willpower Hearts had to not send an energy blast through the door to kill whoever was on the other side. Even Zamasu’s eye had snapped open and he turned his head to look at the door. Was the moment lost? Had he seriously missed his chance to go further with him?

“Who the **_fuck_** is it?” He could feel Zamasu’s hand slip from the back of his head.

“Sheesh, someone is cranky this morning!” Fu was on the other side. Of course it was Fu. “Did you want breakfast?”

“I want to fucking kill you.”

“. . . is that a no, then?”

Hearts grit his teeth before taking a deep breath to calm himself, “We’ll be out in a bit, just . . . go away.”

“Did I interrupt something good?” Fu asked the question in a sing-song tone.

“Fu!”

“Alright, alright. I’m going. Take your time.”

Once he was certain Fu had actually left, Hearts turned his head to look down at Zamasu again. He was still staring in the direction of the door. “Zamasu. Um. . . do you-“

“We should go get breakfast.” He slowly turned his head to look up at Hearts again. He could tell the other man was disappointed, but this was for the best. “I don’t know what had come over me. I’m not sure why I asked such a strange question. I trust that you won’t mention this moment of weakness to anyone.”

Moment of weakness? Is that what he wanted to call it? Hearts had poured a bit of his own heart out and Zamasu was ready to simply brush it aside? “I think it was far more than that. Zamasu. . . sleep with me again tonight.” He held both of Zamasu’s cheeks again, staring directly into his eye. “Stay with me again tonight and every other night. That’s fine, isn’t it? You trust me, right?” They’d just had a similar conversation last night, but he couldn’t help but feel that Zamasu’s response was a bit fake.

“I told you last night that I-“

“Tell me the truth. Do you trust me or not? You came to me last night when you were afraid of Fu. You could have gone to anyone, but you came to me. You slept in bed with me. So are you really going to continue saying you don’t trust me?”

“. . . get off me.”

“Answer me!”

“Get off me, mortal!”

Hearts’ eyes widened considerably before narrowing as he leaned away from Zamasu. “As you wish, god . . . god of what? God of nothing, I suppose. You really won’t give up your damn pride, will you? You aren’t one of them anymore; haven’t you realized that yet?” Hearts left the bed to go into the bathroom and splash water on his face. How had they gone from nearly kissing to yelling at each other? Zamasu’s personality was beyond frustrating. Why was he wasting his time? Zamasu was brought here to become a powerful ally for the sake of his goal. He could use him as a test to see just how powerful that Universe Seed was upon completion. Was it powerful enough to destroy an immortal being?

. . . but at this point, would he actually be able to do that? He was getting really damn attached to that bastard god.

Zamasu watched Hearts get up and leave. Did he really need to say something so hateful? God of nothing . . . he knew that already. He knew he no longer had a place among the gods. He didn’t have a place among the mortals, either. He had nowhere and no one. No one but himself. He was only using this group to obtain the power of the Universe Seed they kept talking about. He wanted to kill the Omni King and continue his plan where he’d left off . . . though, this was a different timeline, so he’d have to start all over again. Alone, this time.

_Alone . . ._

The bed was getting cold now that Hearts had left. Not that it mattered. He needed to grow accustomed to sleeping alone, anyhow. Perhaps if he talked to Fu, he could have his room without fear of Fu doing something awful. Had he even been serious last night, or was it one of his ridiculous experiments? While the threat had seemed real enough, there was something about the whole situation that was off.

Zamasu sat up on the edge of the bed and finally remembered that he’d left his boots, coat, and sash all in that other room. No matter. With a flick of his wrist, his clothes formed on his body in the same state they had been in, tears and all. Did he really need to keep them in such a state? Did he not already have a constant reminder in the form of his memories? In the form of his deformations? “Bastard mortals . . . I’ll destroy them for what they did . . .” He wanted that more than anything right now. More than killing the Omni King, he wanted to at least take his revenge on Son Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks.

“I’m going to breakfast now.” He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to tell Hearts where he was going. The words just kind of came out as he stood up and went to the door. Hearts did not respond, though. That was fine. He didn’t need to hear anything more from him.

* * *

Against his better judgement, Zamasu once again followed Fu back to the lab to receive his daily shot of whatever it was Fu kept pumping into him. He insisted it was to help with the healing process and to keep his body in check, but he couldn’t help but doubt that. “If you try anything strange, I will sever both of your hands.”

“Ooooh, terrifying!” Fu grinned, despite his words. “Just have a seat while I get it ready, okay?”

Fu never seemed phased in the slightest by any threats sent his way. Zamasu couldn’t sense how strong he was, either. Was he concealing his strength just as the Saiyans did? That had to be the case. He was a demon and he seemed quite confident in himself. He must be fairly powerful at least.

“Fu . . . last night . . . were you really trying to do something inappropriate?” Zamasu pursed his lips, not really keen on having this sort of conversation, but it needed to be done.

“If by inappropriate you mean have sex with you, then yeah. I was _totally_ going to have my way with you if I caught you.” He held up the syringe and something about that motion made the god flinch a bit, “Does that make it difficult to trust me now?” He chuckled as he approached the god and pricked the end of the needle into his exposed arm. “Yet you still sat perfectly still for this.”

“Because I doubt you, not because I trust you.”

“Huh? How does that make sense?” Fu maintained his focus on the medicine as he slowly administered it, but he furrowed his brows at the god’s words.

“You did not seem serious last night. I didn’t want to gamble on that hunch, but . . . you had other intentions, didn’t you?”

Fu sighed uncharacteristically as he pulled the needle out and went back to his supply table, “Does it really matter what my intentions were? You didn’t really want to sleep all alone in there, did you?” He glanced over at the Kai, peering at him from over the top of his glasses, “You lost your only ally in the cosmos. Is the only being you can trust really yourself?” He turned around and leaned against his table, folding his arms across his chest.

“Of course. Do you expect me to trust in a mortal or one of those ignorant gods?” Zamasu mimicked the demon, folding his own arms across his chest. Just what was Fu trying to get at?

“Yes, I do. Someone like myself doesn’t need it, but someone like _you_ does. Your body wasn’t the only thing damaged; you’ve definitely got a lot going on up here as well.” He tapped at the side of his head before leaning away from the table to approach the Kai. “You need stability. Don’t you see what happened when you lost that? Two people who had each other. Two people who thought exactly alike. Two people with the same goal . . . but when they fused, that was lost. Now there is one person who failed. One person who cannot obtain what he wants. One person who lost his chance at his dream.”

Fu stopped in front of Zamasu and buried a hand in his hair to gently tilt his head back so he could look him in the eye, “Your mind broke down. You had a total meltdown, both mentally and physically.” He couldn’t help but laugh at his ill-timed joke, earning him a sharp glare from the god. “Sorry, sorry . . . but in all seriousness . . . you need to find your ground again. You’re useless to our team if you cannot stabilize yourself. What could you possibly hope to do on your own in the state you’re in?”

Useless . . . unstable . . . ugly . . .

How had he, the most supreme and perfect god, come to be described as such things? He had been beautiful, flawless, all-powerful . . . he had been everything he could have ever wanted. So how? How had he fallen to the absolute bottom? “I . . . I’m not . . .”

“You are. But you’ll get better. Get strong again and get revenge. Help Hearts with his goal and you will also find power.” More likely than not, the whole team would get obliterated at some point. Still, it was fun and interesting to see how far they could take it. Right now, though, Zamasu would only hinder them. “Until then, though, I’ll keep giving you medicine and we’ll keep you here. If you want to go out, you have to get over your failure.”

Fu saw the way Zamasu trembled, his eye wide and staring out at nothing. His reaction when he was reminded of his failure amused the demon. “ _Does_ it bother you when I talk about it?” His free hand now gently held Zamasu’s chin as the hand in the god’s hair now gripped the white locks tightly, “You, who was so mighty and powerful and full of himself . . . look what has become of you.”

Why was it so difficult to breathe? It felt like some tremendous weight was pressing against his chest. Even swallowing took great effort. His vision . . . the edges were cloudy and his vision went in and out of focus. Fu’s voice sounded as though he was standing far away even though he was right in front of his face.

_Failure._

The mortals had ruined everything!

_Look what has become of you._

He was beautiful, perfect, supreme! What had happened? Why had so much been stolen from him when all he wanted was to save the cosmos themselves? Were they not more important than the greedy, ungrateful mortals who dwelled within?

“I . . . I . . .” The words just wouldn’t come out. What did he even want to say? That he wasn’t a failure? That he was still perfect? Those were statements he knew were lies. They were not true, not anymore. He had failed. He had been made imperfect.

“Fu! Back off!” Hearts entered the lab when he felt it was taking entirely too long. He told himself that he shouldn’t follow them, that he shouldn’t worry about a god, but . . . he’d found himself waiting outside of the lab anyhow. It was too quiet and it was taking too long. A simple injection should have been only a few minutes at the most! Luckily he’d followed his instincts and gone inside, only to find that Fu was in Zamasu’s face and Zamasu looked nothing short of traumatized. “What are you doing!?”

“Hm?” Fu clicked his tongue before releasing his hold on the Kai and standing up straight. “I was just talking with him is all. I told him he needs to get stro-“ Fu’s words were cut short as Hearts tried to punch him square in the face, but Fu caught the fist in his palm with apparent ease, sighing as he did so. “Hearts . . .” He closed his eyes for a moment, but once he reopened them, they were completely red, his iris now a yellow color, “This isn’t a fight you can win. If I wanted to have my way with Zamasu, I would have done it by now. I’m not really interested in that at the moment . . .” He gave the fist a squeeze, eliciting a pained gasp from Hearts before he finally released it.

“Alright!” His eyes almost instantly went back to normal, his usual smile stretched across his face, “You can go run along and play now, Zamasu! Remember what we talked about, okay?” He gave the Kai a mocking pat on the head.

“. . . come on, Zamasu.” Hearts grabbed the god’s wrist and practically yanked him out of the seat before leading him out into the hallway. Fu was powerful. He knew he was strong, but he had severely underestimated just how strong. Sure, he wasn’t using his full strength behind that punch, but the way Fu effortlessly caught it and the way his eyes changed . . . he was thankful that Fu was currently on his side. It would be best not to fight him.

Hearts led Zamasu down the hall and back toward the lounge where he knew they could be alone for a bit.

_“If I wanted to have my way with Zamasu, I would have done it by now.”_

Something about that statement had him a bit shaken. What a bold statement for Fu to make. Judging from what had happened last night, Fu was trying to force him and Zamasu together. Why, though? What reason did he have to do that? Fu was terrifying in his unpredictability.

“Are you okay?” Hearts closed the door behind them as they entered the lounge and then turned to face the god. Zamasu’s eye was still opened wide, but he seemed to snap out of it when Hearts spoke to him.

“A-ah, yes. I am fine. It’s fine.” He wasn’t fine at all and that bothered him even more. Why did something so small and insignificant make him feel so awful? The opinion of a demon was worth even less than the opinion of a mortal, yet here he was with a horrible tightness in his chest and a lump in his throat from Fu’s words. The worst part was that he didn’t disagree with any of it. Fu was not wrong in his accusations. He had been made imperfect. He had failed. He had lost his only companion. He was not at his peak strength anymore. All of these things were true and it was so damn painful . . . a pain he could feel even though he was immortal.

“No you’re not.” Hearts placed his hands on Zamasu’s waist. His waist was really damn small, wasn’t it? His figure was delicate, yet strong. It was beautiful. He hoped to someday see his body properly . . . without the clothes in the way. “Want to have a drink and chat? Maybe it will help calm your nerves.” He could use a drink himself. He’d let himself get too carried away with looking after Zamasu even though he’d never intended to get so close to him. Something about him just drew Hearts to him like a moth to a flame.

“Why? So you can take advantage of me more easily?” Zamasu pulled the hands away from his waist and went to sit in the large armchair in the room.

“Why would I do that now when there have been so many opportunities before? Though if you _want_ me to do something-“

“Just give me whatever you think I will enjoy.”

“. . .” Hearts’ eyes widened considerably as he just stared at the god. What was he referring to? “Do you mean the drink or-“

“Of course I mean the drink.” Zamasu bit off his words angrily. Why was this bastard mortal so vulgar with his thoughts? As irritating as those Saiyans had been, at least he hadn’t had to deal with this! “I’m losing my patience with all of you, not that I had much to begin with.”

Hearts rummaged through the small fridge that was in the lounge. It had mostly water, but there was a single bottle of wine in it. “Looks like we only have one option, so hopefully it’s good.” He brought the bottle to the small table that was in front of the couch and armchair, then retrieved two glasses from the wet bar in the room. “Why don’t you sit on the couch with me?” He smirked as he poured the wine. Pushing Zamasu’s buttons was just too fun to resist.

“I would rather sit on the floor than sit next to you.” His words didn’t sound angry, though. It was almost as though he was reciting a rehearsed response. “Aren’t you pouring quite a lot in those glasses? It seems excessive.” He eyed the glasses curiously. He had never consumed any sort of alcohol before. What kind of flavor did it have? This liquid was mostly clear, but with a light yellow tint to it.

“Don’t worry – this one isn’t very strong. I think even if you drank the entire bottle you’d be fine.” Hearts looked thoughtful for a moment, “Well, no, you haven’t had alcohol before, have you? It’s best if you drink slowly, then.” As fun and interesting as it would be to see Zamasu drunk, it would make it difficult to control his own urges. He did not know what kind of personality may come out of the god. If it was flirtatious in any way, he’d lose it.

“Tch. If a mortal like you has no problem with it, then surely a god can tolerate it even moreso.” Zamasu lifted the glass and brought it to his face. It smelled like a mixture of fruits he could not quite make out. It did not smell bad, at least. Hopefully the flavor was similar. After a moment longer of consideration, he took a small sip. “Ah, it has a fruit flavor. It’s nice . . .” He did feel a tingling in his throat, though. Was that due to the alcohol in it?

“You like it, then?” Hearts took a drink as well. It was pretty nice. A light fruit flavor. It wasn’t really something he would normally drink, but if Zamasu enjoyed it, then it was fine. “If the flavor is good, you should take extra care not to get carried away and drink too much.”

“. . . so what was the real reason you dragged me in here?” Zamasu held his glass, swirling the contents a bit. He was tempted to drink it quickly since the flavor was nice, but perhaps it was best to heed Hearts’ warning.

“To get away from Fu. It was the only place I knew no one else would be aside from outside, but . . . well, this was the first place that came to mind.”

“Hm . . . I could have gone anywhere that wasn’t the lab and it would have been away from Fu. He never really leaves that room other than to eat.” Zamasu crossed his legs and leaned on one of the armrests to get more comfortable.

“That’s true, I guess. Maybe I wanted to talk to you with no one else around.” Zamasu really could have just gone wherever he wanted. Even now, Zamasu could get up and leave. Yet here he was, still sitting with him and talking with him. He acted as though he detested Hearts’ very existence, yet he did seem to tolerate him far more than he tolerated the others.

“If you’re just going to pry about what Fu was saying to me, forget it. It’s not something I’d like to discuss. That bastard is simply trying to get under my skin.” And it was working, too, but Hearts didn’t need to know that. Hearts already knew more than he ought to.

“I already know more than I ought to?”

“Tch. . .”

“Ahhh, you forgot about that ability, didn’t you? Even if you don’t tell me anything, I’ll know.” He couldn’t hear absolutely everything, but keeping a secret from him was practically impossible. He couldn’t really read Fu at all, though. That man was an absolute mystery.

“It is an invasion of privacy. You have no right to listen to my thoughts.” It was annoying that a mortal had such an ability anyhow. Why was he able to hear even the thoughts of a god? Shouldn’t something like that be impossible? “Why should you know everything about me when I know nothing about you? Stay out of my head, mortal.” He stared at the liquid in his glass. It was very tempting to drink a lot. He really hadn’t learned much about alcohol, but consuming too much of it could make someone sick, right? They could also achieve a drunken state. What was that like? Though . . . it was best not to put himself in a vulnerable position around these perverts.

Hearts tapped his foot on the floor, “I only hear your heart when I’m listening. It’s not all the time, you know.” He pulled his glasses off and sat them on the table, “Are you curious about me, Zamasu?” He couldn’t help but smirk as he took another drink, watching over the rim of his glass as the god got visibly irritated.

“Absolutely not. I don’t have any need to know about any of you.” He was curious, but he’d never admit it. Where was Hearts from? Why did he have so many scars? Had he also been brought back from the dead (or near death) by Fu?

“Ohhh, you have quite a lot of interesting questions!” Hearts’ smirk became a grin as Zamasu shot him an intense glare, “Easy, easy . . . I’ll stop for now. I just love to test your patience.” Zamasu didn’t have a poker face at all, did he? Always getting fired up in an instant. He was fun to play with.

“So you admit that you irritate me on purpose? What an awful mortal you are.” The god pulled his legs up onto the chair to get a little more comfortable. It wasn’t a proper way to sit, but there was no reason to be formal in front of mortals. They were beneath him no matter what.

“Implying that you don’t think all mortals are awful?”

“All mortals are awful. Don’t put words in my mouth.”

“There are far better things to put in your mouth than words.”

Zamasu nearly dropped his glass, a disgusted expression quickly distorting his features, “W-what!?” Even though he looked horribly bothered by the comment, a dark red blush quickly stretched across his cheeks and the tops of his ears.

“Ahhh, there it is! I like to make you angry, but making you blush is even better. You’re easily embarrassed, aren’t you?” Hearts leaned his elbow on the armrest and rested his chin in his palm while smiling at the Kaioshin. “I like it.”

This bastard was the worst of them all! Saying something so absolutely filthy to a god! Who did he think he was!? And to think he had shared a bed with this man twice now! There was no telling what had gone on while he slept! “I am not! I was simply disturbed by your words! You’re lucky I have a reason to keep you all alive, otherwise I would- stop looking at me like that!” That smile on Hearts’ face was pissing him off and it only stretched wider when he told him to stop. “I should just leave you here by yourself.”

“And go where?”

“. . .” Zamasu huffed and suddenly downed the rest of his drink.

“Woah, woah! Didn’t I tell you to take it easy?” Hearts sat up straight, furrowing his brows at the god’s actions, “I don’t think you’ll like being drunk. It lowers your inhibitions, you know. You may end up doing something you don’t intend to.” He downed the rest of his own glass. Something this light wouldn’t have any effect on him at all, but . . . Zamasu may feel something if he drank enough. “Shall I pour another?”

“Lowers my inhibitions? What exactly is it you think I would do?” Zamasu placed his glass on the table, giving Hearts silent permission to give him more, “Or rather, what is it you’re hoping I will do, you disgusting mortal?”

“Heh . . . you say that, but you want more anyhow. Perhaps you’re the one looking for an excuse to let loose a little bit.” Hearts obliged, pouring even more than he did last time while only giving himself about half the amount. “I already told you I wouldn’t do anything against your will. Even if a drunk god undresses himself and climbs onto my lap-“

“What kind of thoughts are going through your head right now!? Do not envision me in such a manner! How vulgar!” He reached for his glass, but paused upon realizing the difference in how much his glass had versus what Hearts had, “Why did you give me significantly more?”

“You’ll enjoy it more than I would. And . . . be thankful you cannot hear what is in my heart if those words were enough to bother you.” He chuckled and took his glass, “Go on, drink up. Like I said before, I won’t do anything against your will, but . . . I am very interested to see what you will do when you’re not worried about your reputation. You act so full of yourself and above me, but . . . I already heard your heart many times before. You are lonely and crave the attention you had in your romance as the two Zamasus before they fused.”

“Stop bringing that up . . . even if I do desire that relationship, it is impossible to have it. There is only one of me.” He did take the glass. Drinking too much could be problematic, but part of him was curious of the feeling. The other gods drank, didn’t they? Gowasu only ever drank tea, though, so he hadn’t been exposed to this. The flavor was nice and the sensation in his throat was interesting. He didn’t dislike it. If he did get drunk . . . what would Hearts really do? Would he hold him like he did at night? What kinds of things would he say?

. . . why did he want to know?

Hearts faltered a bit as he took a drink. Even though he said he wouldn’t, he did listen in to Zamasu’s heart since he was so quiet and staring off into space. Was that what he wanted him to do? “Well if you ever decide to lower your standards, let me know.” Just earlier Zamasu was going to let him kiss him, right? It was most definitely just his pride getting in the way. He still had so much pride left even though his self image had been dealt a powerful blow. How much of a narcissist had he been before now? Hearts couldn’t even imagine it.

“I only want to work with you all to kill the King. We will kill him. We have to. I’ll get my strength back and suppress those unnecessary thoughts and feelings so I am not useless.” He took a large drink. It was so tempting to suck the whole glass down again. If he got drunk, could he escape these horrible thoughts for a little while? He could still hear Fu’s words in his head and it was annoying how much it hurt. Useless, unstable . . . he didn’t want to think about it.

“Useless?” Hearts leaned on the armrest again. “You’re very powerful. If you feel weak, then perhaps you just haven’t fully recovered yet. Your body was half decomposed . . . it shouldn’t come as a surprise that your recovery time will be lengthy.” That word . . . it also came from Fu, didn’t it?

“Right, of course. I’m sure it is only that.” Zamasu fanned at his face with his free hand. “Isn’t it a bit warm in here?” He pulled at the neck of his shirt.

“No, it feels the same as usual. It’s probably just the alcohol. I knew it was going to have a quick effect on you. You’ve never had it before. You should probably stop if it’s already affecting you so much.” But he wasn’t going to stop, was he? He wanted to get drunk, didn’t he? “Zamasu, if something Fu said is bothering you, ignore him. That guy is manipulative. He likely has some bigger picture he is working toward. Don’t play into what he wants.” But he was also using the Kai, wasn’t he? That was the original intention, anyway. Though . . . Zamasu was also using him, according to what he’d said.

“You are all using me. I don’t trust any of you, just as none of you trust me. Fu can only be so confident because he is either crazy or extremely powerful . . . or both.” He set his glass down and unfastened his sash, neatly folding it and placing it on the table before doing the same with his overcoat. It was too warm. “Your fake concern is irritating. I won’t fall for it.”

“Fake . . . you don’t really feel that way at all, right? I don’t even need to listen to your heart to know that. You wear your emotions on your sleeve, god.” His personality was so frustrating. “A god who is unlike the gods. I’m not even sure what you really are.”

“A failure.” Zamasu’s eye widened at his own words as he lifted a hand to quickly cover his mouth. “A-ah, no . . . I don’t know why I said that.” The words were muffled under his fingers as he quickly reached for his glass again. Those were Fu’s words, not his, right? No, they were his. He had most certainly failed. The Saiyans had destroyed his perfect plan. They’d ruined everything he had.

“Failure?” Hearts watched as the god quickly threw his head back and chugged the large amount of alcohol remaining in his glass. “My, my . . . you’re going to be a handful in a short while.” Hearts got up from his seat and handed Zamasu his own glass. “Here, you may as well just have the rest.” Zamasu didn’t hesitate to take it and finish it off as well. “If you’re hoping that drink is going to make you feel better, you’re in for a rude awakening. In fact, you’ll probably just end up crying.” He’d definitely be angry with himself once he sobered up after all of this, but . . . well, he’d at least stay with him until he eventually sobered up or fell asleep.

“I won’t cry in front of you again if I can help it. You’ve seen enough.” Hearts had seen so much weakness in him already, though, so what was the use in arguing? He definitely was beginning to feel a bit strange aside from the fact he was burning up. “If I could, I would sleep for a while. Perhaps I would sleep for a day or two straight. Really, I just want time alone. I want time to think. I want to mull over what happened and what I could have done to change the course to secure my victory.”

“Why? Why put yourself through that? The fact is, you failed at your goal and now you are here. Just focus on the road ahead without looking back.” Hearts removed his gloves and tossed them onto the table, then slid his coat off and placed it over the armrest on the chair where Zamasu currently sat.

“I have to analyze it so I can avoid such mistakes this time! . . . why are you undressing?” Zamasu eyed Hearts suspiciously as he set the second empty glass on the table.

“Things are different this time no matter what, right? You have us with you.” Hearts offered him a smile as he gently grabbed Zamasu’s wrist, “Come sit with me. Won’t you feel better if you have someone to lean on?”

“Don’t touch me, mortal! Put . . . put your clothes back on! Don’t touch!” He tried to yank his hand away, but he was feeling a little dizzy for some reason. “Ahh . . . just. . .” The god stood up with every intention of just leaving the room to get away from the current topic and Hearts’ awkward behavior, but the moment he stood up, he felt even more dizzy and instead stumbled forward directly into Hearts’ chest.

“Oh, that works, too.”

“As if I would do such a thing on purpose! I must have tripped on-“

“No, you’re starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. Luckily there isn’t any more in this room. If you got completely drunk, I don’t know if I’d be able to behave myself.” Ignoring the god’s protests, he scooped him up with ease and set him down on the couch before taking a seat beside him. “Now that you’ve got a bit of liquid courage in you . . . why don’t you talk to me about what Fu said.”

“I told you I didn’t want to sit . . . beside. . . you. . .” His anger visibly melted away as Hearts draped an arm across his shoulders and pulled him against his side. “Bastard mortal.” He had felt hot, but somehow the warmth of Hearts’ arm and body was still welcome. His arm felt heavy across his back and the hand that now held onto his arm was big . . . how long had it been since he’d experienced something like this?

“Are you sure about that?” He had to be careful with how far he took it, of course. Zamasu wasn’t in a proper state of mind at the moment. He was most certainly taking advantage of his tipsy state, but he wouldn’t do anything awful to him. “So are you going to tell me what he said?” Hearts lazily dragged his fingers up and down Zamasu’s arm. He could feel the lean muscle beneath the thin fabric of his shirt.

“Useless. He said I am . . . useless right now.”

“Useless?” Hearts furrowed his brows angrily. Damn that Fu. What was his goal in saying these things to Zamasu? Was he intentionally trying to break him down?

“He said that . . . I need to get past my failure, otherwise I am useless and unstable.” Zamasu only stared ahead, not really looking at anything in particular as he recalled the conversation he’d only just had. It was difficult to really focus, though. Still . . . he did feel the hand on his arm lightly caressing him. It was nice. Would he keep doing that for a while?

“Just ignore him. Fu is just trying to-“

“No. He’s right.” Zamasu leaned into Hearts as he lifted a hand to drag it over the visible part of his face. “I failed. I was so close, my plan was so perfect . . . but I failed. What could I have done? I don’t know. Was it ever even possible? I’m dwelling on it, but how can I not? I had everything I could have wanted and it was all taken from me in the blink of an eye . . . it’s all gone. It was right in front of me and I couldn’t do it. It’s gone . . . _they’re_ gone . . .” He could feel his throat tightening up and tears threatening to fall. “Ah . . . not now . . . not now . . .”

So that was it. It was a culmination of things that had the god acting like a mess, but it all stemmed from his failure. It made sense, really, that a god who was so incredibly full of himself would fall so hard after such a devastating and decisive failure. “Zamasu . . .”

“What was it all for? My body is ruined and I will live forever . . . and for what? Only to be reminded for all of eternity.” He grit his teeth as unwanted tears slipped down his cheeks, leaking out from underneath the eyepatch. “I’ll kill them for what they’ve done. Those Saiyans . . . I hate them. I’ll kill them!”

“Shhhhh, hey, calm down.” He was definitely being more forthcoming with his thoughts and feelings, at least. “I will help you get your revenge on them, but you are _not_ ruined. There is nothing wrong with your body.”

“Your words will not sway my opinion of you, mortal. I’m not ignorant! My body has been deformed! It will likely never be beautiful like it once was.” His body had been so perfect and magnificent and beautiful. He was the image of godhood and now he’d been reduced to this mess.

“You will become stronger than ever before and you are still very beautiful. You’re worrying about something that really doesn’t matter, aren’t you?” Hearts slid his hand up Zamasu’s arm and instead buried it in the Kai’s hair.

“Doesn’t matter? It is everything. I was perfect in every way . . . yet I still lost. Why? I should have won, but they had . . . the damned Omni King on their side! How could I fight against something like that? I didn’t stand a chance . . . one thing after another. They were pulling off miracles as though the cosmos themselves had come to their aid. Why? I only wanted to save the universes from certain destruction by mortals . . . why was I treated as though I was the one who was in the wrong?”

What was Hearts supposed to say to that? He also saw Zamasu as a villainous god for his deeds. He went on a genocidal rampage, wiping out nearly every mortal and god in existence. How could anyone see that as a heroic action? Just how mentally unstable was he really? “I don’t have any answers for all of that.” It was definitely best not to question his sanity right now. “Fu is right that you need to overcome all of this, though. How do you expect to take revenge on the Omni King and those Saiyans if you can’t even win the fight against your inner voice?” He ruffled Zamasu’s hair a bit. It was really soft. Did he like when he played with his hair like this?

“. . . Zamasu?” Hearts glanced down at the god, then pursed his lips. “Asleep? Seriously? You were just so riled up.” He couldn’t help but crack a smile, though. He looked so peaceful sleeping against him like that and he almost didn’t want to move. “We only just had breakfast and you’ve already drank yourself back to sleep again.” Hearts leaned his head back on the couch, his fingers still playing in the god’s white locks. “I’ll wake you when it’s time for lunch, I guess. Maybe no more drinking for you until you’re a bit more sure of yourself.” It was nice to hear him finally speak his mind properly, though.

* * *

“He was asleep on you and you didn’t do anything?” Fu looked at Hearts as though the man had suddenly grown a second head, “How many chances have you had now?”

The two were in the kitchen alone, washing dishes that had piled up from both breakfast and lunch. Zamasu had gone off to ‘be alone for a while’, or so he had said. Probably to continue wallowing in self-pity and anger for the past.

“I’ve had zero chances, Fu. I’m not going to force myself on him. Unlike _you_.” He shot the demon a side-eye glare.

“Hey, hey, I only acted like I was going to do that to chase him back to you. I was doing you a favor.” He used his forearm to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose since both hands were covered in dish soap.

“Doing me a favor? More like you have some weird plan in mind or some experiment that you’re trying to fulfill. I know how you tic.” Hearts took a washed dish from Fu and dried it before setting it aside.

“Oh do you?” Fu chuckled and shook his head, “I doubt that, Hearts. In the end, it’s fine as long as we all get what we want, right? All of the pieces are nearly in place. Hopefully Zamasu will be feeling better soon, otherwise he’ll be usel-“

Fu was cut short as Hearts suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him so close their noses nearly touched.

“Don’t you **_ever_** call him that again.” Hearts’ eyes were narrowed dangerously as he stared into the demon’s wide eyes. “You are part of the problem. Are you trying to break him? His ego is already full of cracks . . . too much more from you and he might just fall apart beyond repair. Is that what you want?”

Fu’s eyes slowly narrowed into crescents as his shocked expression became an amused grin, “Maybe I want to see how he reacts to different things. All of life is an experiment, Hearts.” He glanced down at the hand holding his shirt, “You should probably let go of me now.” Fu reached up to pat Hearts lightly on the head, feigning kindness like he typically did.

“. . . don’t play around with him.” Hearts released his hold on Fu’s shirt and turned back to drying dishes. As much as Fu pissed him off, he’d already realized that wasn’t a fight he wanted to pick.

“Listen to you . . . Mr. ‘I’m going to wipe out the gods’ sure sounds like he has fallen for a god. The worst of the whole bunch, too! Isn’t that something?” Fu stood closer than the last time, smirking knowingly as he washed the last few of the dishes.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’ve fallen for him, but . . . he is different from the gods I hate. If I can just change his feelings about mortals, he will make a fantastic ally for the future. Zamasu is powerful and holds the same disdain as I do for the Omni King and the gods. I mean . . . there’s an exception to every rule, right?”

“An exception?” Fu looked thoughtful for a moment, “Do you think you’re _his_ exception as well?” He got up in Hearts’ face before drying his soapy hands off on the man’s coat, “Well, I have to go do some more prep work for our upcoming debut! Why don’t you check in on your precious exception.”

“Wait . . . did you just- Fu!” By the time he’d realized the demon wiped his hands off on him, Fu was already high-stepping it out of the kitchen. “Tch, quirky bastard . . .” He rolled the sleeves of his coat back down to make it easier to remove it. “Zamasu’s exception as well . . . I don’t know about that. I probably should check on him, though. I wonder if he fell asleep in front of the mirror again.”

* * *

How many times now had he made a fool of himself? He’d been horribly embarrassed when Hearts woke him for lunch. He’d apparently fallen asleep against him in the lounge. Hearts had insisted he did nothing else other than carry him to the room and put him in the bed, but how could he believe that? Hearts had made so many obscene comments, why would he not jump at an opportunity to act on those filthy desires? The very thought made the god’s skin crawl . . .

. . . well, no. It actually didn’t, and that bothered him.

He should have been disgusted by the thought of Hearts touching his skin, his hair, his lips . . . of Hearts kissing him, of Hearts fu-

“Dammit, stop! Stop, stop, **_stop_**!” He wanted to pull his hair out! He was trying to work on bringing his full power out, yet his mind kept wandering back to those kinds of scenarios! It was making his heart race like crazy and only made him feel more uncertain with himself. Perhaps Fu was right that his mind had also been damaged. Why else would he think about a mortal in such a way? He should be completely repulsed with the idea!

Even with these frequent distractions, Zamasu felt that he had accomplished a good amount during his alone time. He’d managed to produce his beautiful halo intentionally for the first time since he’d been there. Unlike his body, his halo remained pure and complete and just as beautiful as ever. He had also been able to focus and control his ki like before. “Until I am in a true battle, I will not know the extent of my shortcomings. I can feel my power, but it is true that it does not feel the same as before. Is it really that I am not at my full strength, or is it because I am missing a key factor?”

Much like the Saiyans, he also had gained quite a boost in strength from his anger. His anger with the gods, his anger with the mortals, his anger with Trunks and Son Goku . . . all of those things were where he found his strength. “Are these mental distractions and uncertainties preventing me from focusing? Is that what Fu was trying to tell me?” Somehow he didn’t believe the demon was capable of coming to such a conclusion, but he was the one who had miraculously fixed the majority of his body. Fu was more intelligent than he looked.

A gentle knock on the door roused him from his thoughts, “Go away.” He really wasn’t interested in having company. The time he’d had alone was incredibly refreshing. He had time to think and reflect as well as mull over what all he wanted to do with his restored life. He had to be careful so as not to repeat the same mistakes.

“I could just take it right off the hinges, if you’d rather that.” Hearts’ muffled voice came through the door.

Sighing with irritation, Zamasu went to the door and opened it, glaring up at the man who had been consuming his thoughts. This bastard was killing his focus. “What do you want?” He did his best to sound annoyed, but his pulse was already racing again just from seeing his face. Why was he carrying his coat rather than wearing it? Where were his gloves? How obscene. “Where are your clothes?”

“Well hello to you, too.” Hearts pushed past the god and hung his coat up on a hook on the wall. “I was helping Fu with dishes and that bastard dried his hands on my coat. There’s a big wet spot, so I wanted to hang it up while it dried.” He checked the pockets to make sure his gloves hadn’t fallen out along the way. “Does it really matter? I never wear a shirt, so it’s not really any different.” He glanced back over his shoulder to find Zamasu staring at his back, his lips slightly parted as if in a daze, “You need to work on your staring habit before I get the wrong idea, god.”

“I wasn’t staring, I was just thinking and happened to be looking in your general direction.” Zamasu turned his head, a light blush dusting his cheeks. It wasn’t that he’d meant to stare. He had just gotten caught up in looking at his back for some reason. He wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t because it looked very powerful or anything. He’d seen that sort of thing before with . . . Black. Black wasn’t so bulky, though. He slimmed down quickly after he’d stolen Goku’s body.

“Right . . . what a coincidence.” Hearts shook his head before slowly approaching the Kai, “You know, I said I’d get the wrong idea, but . . . maybe it’s more like I’ll take the hint.” As he made it back to where Zamasu stood, he reached past him and closed the door so he could lightly shove Zamasu up against it.

“What are you-“ Zamasu’s eye widened as Hearts leaned down and pressed his forehead against his. It was too similar to what Fu had just done last night. Why could they not respect his space and stay away? Though . . . unlike with Fu, Zamasu did not feel even the slightest inkling of fear. Rather, he felt anxious for what might come next . . . and it upset him that he wasn’t repulsed by any of the possibilities.

“Just this morning, you were going to let me kiss you, weren’t you? We were this close on the bed and you closed your eyes. If it wasn’t for Fu’s interruption, would you have allowed me to kiss you?” Hearts kept one hand on the door by Zamasu’s head, but gently grasped the god’s chin with his other hand to keep him from turning away. “Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth.”

“I . . .” This morning he was definitely welcoming it. He had told himself he wasn’t in the right frame of mind, but he really knew exactly what was going on. His body still craved the attention and touch of another person. Why did his body want him so badly? Since when did a god have such carnal desires? Was it because he’d fused with the Saiyan body? Black had been the one to initiate the sex and intimate acts between himself and Zamasu, so that was the most likely culprit. Now he wanted it, but had no one to get it from. “I don’t know.”

“That’s bullshit, Zamasu. Try again.” Shifting the hand he had on the god’s chin, he ran his thumb along his lower lip, earning a surprised gasp from him.

“Stop, Hearts. I have too much on my mind right now and I do not need you adding to it with your vulgar desires.” The shaking in his voice pissed him off, but it was the best he could do right now. His heart felt like it would beat right out of his chest if he wasn’t able to calm down soon.

“Too much on your mind? Then talk to me.” Hearts reluctantly leaned away. He wanted to take it further, but that was a very stern ‘stop’ and he’d already promised not to go against his will.

“Why would I discuss these matters with a mortal.” Zamasu instinctively gripped at the fabric over his heart as he tried to calm himself now that there was a bit of space between them.

“Because who else will you talk to?”

“. . .” No one. There wasn’t anyone. He had one person who he had connected with so deeply, but now the two of them had become one, had become _him_. There was no one in the cosmos who he could ever get close with like that. “My mind is distracted. I cannot focus while I constantly go over what had happened before I was erased. I think . . . I think perhaps that is what Fu was trying to get me to understand.” Zamasu folded his arms, rubbing at one arm with a hand. “I keep thinking about how my body has been ruined, about how my future was ruined, about how my partnership was ended . . .” Just talking about all of it was making him anger quickly, “I have to find some way to control the emotions associated with all of that, otherwise I cannot focus on the mission ahead of us.”

“That makes sense.” Hearts nodded slowly. Was that really what Fu was trying to do, or was he just trying to push the Kai over the edge? It was difficult to tell with that guy. He’d never admit to one or the other, either, instead allowing everyone to just jump to their own conclusions. “So are you ready to take a step toward that, then?”

“A step toward it? What do you mean?” Zamasu furrowed his brows, but his eye widened as Hearts reached out to touch the patch covering his right eye. “A-ah . . . right. That is . . . something I have yet to overcome.” He had to do it. He had to face whatever was beneath the cover. He was powerful, he was supreme, even if his body was no longer without flaw. “I’ll take it off.” He couldn’t help but be nervous, though he didn’t want Hearts to see that. What if the appearance overwhelmed him? Showing such weakness in front of anyone was the last thing he wanted. Hearts had never told anyone about anything that had happened before, but . . .

“I’ll help you. Here, stand in front of the mirror.” Hearts waited for Zamasu to move, then stood behind him. “I bet it isn’t as bad as the monster you’ve envisioned in your head. That guy Fu is a crazy bastard with his own agenda, so you really shouldn’t take his words to heart.”

Zamasu stared as his reflection, his breathing a bit more labored as his anxiousness got the best of him. Hearts was right about one thing; he had a horrible, grotesque vision of what might be underneath. A purple, veiny, gooey, mess of skin surrounding a disfigured, blind eye. He wasn’t sure if his ego and self-image could handle such a blow right now, but putting it off for any longer did him no good. “I know, but . . . my own imagination is far more cruel than Fu’s words.”

“I see.” Hearts gently ruffled Zamasu’s hair, surprised when the Kai only closed his eye in response. “Alright, I’m going to unfasten it now.” Even though it sounded so superficial, he now understood exactly why it bothered Zamasu so much. It wasn’t simply that he felt it ruined his beauty, but it would be a reminder for the rest of eternity that he had failed.

When Zamasu said nothing in response, Hearts slowly unfastened the band and pulled the cover away, carefully dropping it to the floor. The skin was definitely discolored on his eyelid and around his eye. It was the same shade of purple his right shoulder now was. Still, aside from the color, everything else appeared normal. “You can open your eyes. I think you’ll find it is nowhere near anything you might have imagined.” He rested his hands on the god’s shoulders, watching as he slowly opened his eyes.

He first looked down at the floor, lifting a hand to look at it. His right eye was completely blind. There was no change in his vision than what he had with the patch over his eye. “It’s blind.” Would that eventually heal? He was terrified to look in the mirror, but somehow Hearts’ reassuring words did make him feel even the slightest bit more confident . . .

. . . until he looked up.

The skin discoloration wasn’t as awful as he’d thought – not even close. His eye itself, however . . . just as Fu said, it was yellow. The whole eye was yellow. No iris, no pupil, nothing other than a blank, yellow void where his beautiful silver eye had once been. Was this really the best it could get? Would it never change? Could something like this be repaired?

“See? It’s-“

“-awful. It’s awful, Hearts.” He could hear his voice begin to quiver as a lump formed in his throat. “It’s hideous.”

“It isn’t hideous, Zamasu. It’s-“

“I can see it! I can see what it looks like! It is hideous!” He hated it. The color was so filthy compared to the rest of him. It was completely ruined. “Those Saiyans. . . those Saiyans! If only I had killed Trunks from the beginning!!” He reached up and grabbed the skin just beneath the damaged eye, digging his nails in and ripping at the skin.

“Zamasu!” Gritting his teeth, Hearts grabbed both of the god’s wrists from behind to stop him from attacking his own face. Thankfully he was immortal and the wound healed instantly after allowing only a small bit of blood to slide down his cheek. “Stop . . . don’t do that to yourself.”

“I’ll tear it apart!”

“No!”

“Again and again and again!! Until it heals as it should!” He tried to pull his arms free, but Hearts held tightly to them, “I am immortal!! I cannot be injured! I cannot feel pain! I cannot be killed! I . . . I cannot . . .” He lowered his head as tears finally slipped from his eyes, mixing with the blood he’d shed just moments ago, “I cannot die . . . ever . . .”

What was he trying to say? Something about the tone of Zamasu’s voice made it feel as though someone had gripped his heart and was squeezing it tightly. “Don’t say something like that.” Releasing his hold on one of Zamasu’s wrists, he grabbed the god’s jaw and forced his face to look forward at the mirror, “Where is the pride you had!? You are a god! You’re supposed to be full of yourself! You’re supposed to feel above the mortals! So why? Why do I feel pity for you?” He wasn’t like the gods he thought he knew so much about. The gods he hated. The gods he wanted to exterminate. Regardless of how Zamasu had been in the past, the way he was now wasn’t someone he could bring himself to hate.

“I am above the mortals . . . I will always be above them. I want to kill the mortals who caused this.” He grit his teeth, disgusted by what he saw in the mirror. Discoloration, disfigurement, and now a sobbing mess to top it off. “I do not feel the power I once felt. What is a god if he is imperfect? I was so beautiful . . .”

“You’re still beautiful!” Why did he want to help him? Why did he give a damn how this god felt? “What part of you is not beautiful? The purple color complements the green wonderfully. It’s a lovely shade of purple and your skin still looks perfectly smooth. I bet it feels like fine satin, just as the rest of your skin does. And your eye . . . something about it makes you look even more powerful. One eye is silver and the other is gold.”

“Yellow. . .”

“Gold.”

“It’s ye-“

“I said it’s gold!” Hearts suddenly spun the Kai around, earning him a wide-eyed stare in response, “Work with me, Zamasu. Together, you and I can build a beautiful future for all of the universes. I want you by my side when we stand at the top of everything.” He wiped away the tears that fell from his blind eye, smiling softly to try and ease his worries, “Just as I thought; your skin is the softest I’ve ever felt.” Hearts pulled off his glasses and chucked them aside before burying his other hand in the hair on the back of Zamasu’s head, bringing their foreheads together once more, “Zamasu . . . will you be my partner? Will you make this journey with me? It’ll be you and I against the Omni King, the Angels, the gods . . . who else can we trust? I want someone I can put my trust in, don’t you? Isn’t that what you long for?”

“Partner?” His heart was still racing, but his tears had stopped falling. The way Hearts had touched him so gently, the way he incessantly complimented him, the way he held him close. Why did he do all of these things? Why was he so weak to it all? “I do want that. I thought I wanted to be alone on top of it all. My own utopia, but . . . the thought of being alone after what Zamasu and the Future Zamasu had together . . . I feel weak to admit that I don’t know if I could do it.”

“You don’t have to. You don’t have to be alone.” Hearts’ voice had dropped to a whisper as he slowly swayed from side to side, trying his best to console the distraught Kaioshin. “I will be here.”

“Until you die. I am forever. You are only for a while.”

“Am I incapable of wishing for immortality?” Hearts smirked at the startled expression that earned him, “You used the Super Dragon Balls, right? Fu told me a few things about your history.” He pulled away just enough so he could nuzzle Zamasu’s cheek. The god remained perfectly still, not even so much as a noise escaping him. He did nothing to protest Hearts’ actions, much like this morning. “Tell me, Zamasu. Does that sound appealing to you?” He put his mouth right by the Kai’s left ear, whispering the words softly to him, “You and I, both immortal, standing atop the bodies of the king and the gods. Wouldn’t that be perfect?”

Zamasu had so many thoughts speeding through his mind that his legs nearly gave out. What was Hearts trying to say to him? Would he really wish for immortality? Killing the King and the gods together . . . but what of the mortals? Hearts didn’t want to kill them, did he? Though . . . a partner forever. Someone immortal like himself. Someone powerful, charismatic, handsome . . . wouldn’t that be wonderful?

“Hearts . . .” He didn’t really know what to say to him. What answer could he give that would not make him sound pathetic and desperate? His hands were already hanging at his sides because he didn’t know what to do. It was like his body had gone limp from the sensation of Hearts’ voice in his ear. It felt wonderful and sent chills down his spine. He wanted him to say more.

“Hmm? What is it, Zamasu? Beautiful, perfect, Zamasu.” The only god he’d ever praise. Could he even be considered a god at this point? He would surely be rejected by them all. “I hate the gods, Zamasu, but you . . . you’re an exception.” He snaked an arm around Zamasu’s waist, “Can I show you? Can I show you how you make me feel?” Against his better judgement, Hearts nipped at the god’s ear lobe and used his tongue to toy with the green potara. “I want to hold you, I want to kiss you, I want to-“

“Hearts.” Zamasu cut off the man’s words. He already knew Hearts could feel him shaking against his body. Why was he reacting like this? No, he already knew the answer. Not one to be weak, he reached a hesitant hand up and grabbed the back of Hearts’ head, pulling himself up to mimic him and put his mouth right by Hearts’ ear, “You keep talking . I’m right here. What are you waiting for?” Would he regret allowing this to happen? Oh well. He already had several regrets. Why not do something he might enjoy?

Hearts’ eyes opened wide as he leaned back from Zamasu to get a good look at his face. His cheeks and ears were red, his brows furrowed in apparent embarrassment. His consent could not be more clear, though. “Well then . . .” Hearts crushed their lips together, kissing him hungrily after being denied the opportunity for quite some time. Zamasu’s lips were softer than the rest of his skin, too.

Zamasu returned the kiss, both arms now over Hearts’ shoulders so he could bury his hand in his hair and claw at his back with need. How long had it been since he’d felt this? He wanted more. No, he _needed_ more. “More, Hearts. I need you.” He had barely even registered the words that left his lips at a volume even more hushed than a whisper.

Those words sent chills over Hearts’ skin. Was all of this some kind of dream? Had he really heard those words, or was it just what he wanted to hear? “Zamasu . . .” He continued the assault on the god’s lips as he walked him back toward the bed. His hands moved from the back of his head to the front of him to tear away the sash and overcoat. Zamasu obliged, helping him remove the unnecessary fabric as the two of them expertly removed various articles of attire on their way to the bed. Boots, belt, sash, overcoat, braces . . . only the bare minimum remained as Hearts shoved the Kai down onto the mattress so he could get a good look at him.

“How beautiful. That red looks good on your skin, too. Is there any color that isn’t great on you?” Hearts smirked down at the god. His hands were eager to get underneath his clothes. He’d finally get to see all of him and it was difficult to keep from moving too fast.

“Quit staring, you vulgar mortal.” He did not feel beautiful, not with that imperfection on his face and the discoloration on his shoulder, but Hearts kept calling him beautiful anyhow. Whether he was lying or not, it was still nice to hear it.

“If I become immortal like you, will you still call me a mortal?” He leaned down and slipped a hand beneath Zamasu’s shirt. “I’ve wanted to do this for a while. Your shirt doesn’t leave much to the imagination, but I still want to see what’s underneath.” His stomach was firm and as he slid his hand up the skin, shoving his shirt up as he went, he could feel every dip and curve of the lean muscle of his abs and chest. “Let’s get you on the bed properly.” His hands were shaking as he helped Zamasu up so his head was on the pillow and the two of them were fully on top of the mattress. “That’s more comfortable, right?” Hearts lightly kissed Zamasu’s cheek.

“It’s fine.” He was extremely nervous, but did his best to remain as alert as possible. He’d only ever done something like this with himself, someone who knew his body and how to please him. What would it be like doing this kind of thing with someone else? “You don’t have to go slow, you know . . . I’m not fragile or anything.” He also would prefer things to be a bit more rough, but saying something like that would be entirely too embarrassing. He’d let Hearts figure that out on his own.

“Maybe I want to take it slow to enjoy you properly.” Contrary to his words, Hearts grabbed Zamasu’s shirt and pulled it up and over the god’s head with his help, chucking it off the bed. “But if you are eager and want me to go faster, you just have to say so.” He was a bit eager himself. He wanted to put his mouth and hands all over him and get him to moan. He’d heard plenty of women’s moans in the past, but never that of a man. He’d never taken any interest in men whatsoever until now. Zamasu was special in so many ways.

With the shirt now out of the way, Hearts kneeled between Zamasu’s legs and hunched over him, his hands sliding up and down the god’s sides as he first dipped his tongue into his navel and trailed kisses up to his chest. It was strange. It was almost like his skin had a flavor to it. He was sweet. Was that just his imagination? Hearts glanced up at Zamasu’s face, his heart skipping a beat as he did so. Zamasu was staring down at him, his mouth slightly agape and his cheeks and ears a deep red as he watched with half-lidded eyes. Even now, Hearts found his right eye beautiful. “You’re so damn beautiful. It’s great that Fu brought you here . . . to erase you would be a waste. The cosmos needs someone with your power, your beauty, your intelligence.”

Zamasu shuddered a bit from the way those words made him feel. Hearts was playing him like a damn fiddle and he couldn’t be happier about it. Yes. He was the embodiment of beauty, power, grace, intelligence, charisma. He was everything a glorious god ought to be! He was nothing like the gods of old who sat by ignorantly and allowed the mortals to run amok! “Even with these imperfections . . .”

“They are not imperfections.” Hearts kissed the discolored right shoulder. “The skin is just as soft and flawless as the rest of you. Only the color is different.”

“Having skin with two colors . . . it’s strange.”

Hearts pursed his lips as he looked Zamasu dead in the eyes, “Is it?”

“Ah . . . your skin is two colors.” A lot of it was, even his face. Hearts had very strange skin with so many scars. What was he? Who was he? Where was he from? What race did he belong to?

“Does it make me ugly?” Hearts slid up Zamasu’s body to press their chests together as he snuck a few fingers into the hem of the god’s pants.

“No . . . you have a nice face.” Zamasu ran his hand along Hearts’ cheek, his thumb sliding over his lips just as Hearts had done to him. His eyes were so red . . . “You are handsome. Even with your scars, you are handsome.” Was it okay to admit that to a mortal? He felt dirty just for feeling that way, but something about the way Hearts stared at him and touched him and worshipped his body and power . . . it felt too good to ignore. He wanted more of it. He wanted those arms wrapped around him, he wanted those lips against his skin again, he wanted that voice to whisper sweet nothings into his ear until he felt weak with lust.

“Handsome? Thank you, Lord Zamasu.” Hearts chuckled as he leaned back to quickly slide Zamasu’s pants down his legs and off of him, throwing them somewhere in the room. “Oh. . . nothing underneath?” He could feel his own face get hot now upon the realization that Zamasu didn’t wear underclothes. Hearts trailed a hand up along the god’s leg, marveling at how soft and smooth the skin was. “Flawless . . . and it looks like you are already incredibly aroused. I’ve only just begun.” He grinned when he saw the embarrassed and irritated scowl the god was giving him. “Do you dislike being nude in front of me?” Hearts licked his lips as he ran his hands over both hips, his fingers dancing along his abdomen and all around the one place he knew Zamasu would want him to touch.

Without allowing Zamasu a chance to answer, he leaned over and stole his lips in a kiss once more, one hand burying itself in the god’s hair. Zamasu only whimpered softly in response and Hearts could feel an unsteady hand rest against his chest. “You’re shaking, Zamasu. Where is your bravado? Do I make you that nervous?” He whispered the words against Zamasu’s lips, rubbing noses with the other man. “There are so many things I’ve wanted to do to you for a while now. I just don’t know where to begin.”

“You’re talking too much . . .” Zamasu’s fingers curled against Hearts’ chest as he faced the conflict inside himself. The Zamasu part of him was used to being in the submissive position, but the Goku Black part of him was used to being dominant. He was fighting an urge to try and change their positions and take control of the situation. Would Hearts let him do that? Was Hearts powerful enough to stop him?

“I am most definitely powerful enough to stop you.” Hearts stared directly into Zamasu’s eyes, smirking, “There is no way I’m going to let you do that, Zamasu. Also, what is wrong with talking? Don’t you like it when I admire you?” Hearts began to slowly grind against Zamasu’s length, his own aching for attention in his pants.

“Ha-a-ah!” Zamasu snapped his mouth shut as he realized he’d allowed such a noise to escape him. “B-bastard . . .” It felt so good, though. His body had been craving this sort of attention horribly over the last few days and now he was finally receiving it. He could feel his pulse and breathing both become erratic with need and desperation as he reached both hands behind Hearts to grasp at his back.

“Am I a bastard? This is what you’ve been wanting, isn’t it? Do you like it?” He kissed beneath Zamasu’s blind eye, then kissed the eyelid once the god closed it. “I want to make you tremble with need.” Just the thought of having a god shaking and begging him for more made his cock twitch with anticipation. “I want to see your body flushed from head to toe. I want to see you slick with sweat, panting with exertion, your eyes clouded with lust . . . I want you to give your all to me, Zamasu.”

“Don’t say something like tha-ahh!” Zamasu shuddered as Hearts dipped his tongue in his ear before nipping and sucking on the tip, all while still grinding slowly against him.

“Hmmm? Say something like what?” Hearts practically purred the question into his ear, his right hand playing with the potara on Zamasu’s left ear. “Like how I want to taste every inch of your skin?” He ran his tongue from the lobe of his ear to the tip to emphasize his words. “Or perhaps how I want to bury myself deep inside of you? Or how I want to hear that beautiful voice cry out in ecstasy, knowing it was me who drove you to it?” He was getting more excited from his own damn words.

“Hearts. . .” Zamasu dug his nails into Hearts’ skin, earning a soft hiss from him.

“Tell me what you need, god.”

“You know what I need.” The Kai did his best to maintain control of his voice, but he sounded desperate anyhow.

“Your heart is screaming the words, but I want to hear them from your lips.” Hearts stopped grinding against him, “Tell me, Zamasu. What is it that you need?” He trailed his lips down along the god’s jawline and then his neck, biting hard at the skin to draw a long moan from him. “You sound so good . . . better than I could have ever imagined.”

Zamasu suddenly grabbed Hearts’ face with both hands, pulling him within an inch of his own face as he glared at him angrily, “I need you to take off your damn pants and actually _do_ all of the things you keep _talking_ about. You’re driving me absolutely crazy. You already know what I want.” The words were delivered in a furious whisper, his chest heaving as he rolled his hips upward against Hearts’ clothed groin to emphasize a few words. “I need _you_.” It was difficult to admit, but if that was what Hearts needed to hear, then so be it!

Hearts stared at Zamasu with wide eyes. He hadn’t expected him to get so aggressive, but it was nice to see. “See? Was that so difficult?” He grinned and gave Zamasu’s lips a quick peck, “But not yet. I want to take a little more time. I think you’ll enjoy it anyhow.” He nuzzled the Kai’s cheek before trailing kisses back down along his neck and chest, stopping to lick at one of his nipples. The little bud was firm from arousal. His body was quite ready for all of this, but was his mind ready?

“Do you feel everything I am doing to you, Zamasu? Make sure you let me know if it feels good. Don’t hold back your voice.” He bit down on the nipple, drawing a sharp gasp, followed by a whimper from Zamasu. “There you go. I love that.” Hearts licked his own middle finger, then reached over to the neglected bud to rub circles on it with the moistened digit while he licked and sucked on the other. Zamasu arched his back and rolled his hips from the sensation. One of the hands on Hearts’ back slid up to grasp at his hair, tugging on the locks as if to try and pull him away from what he was doing.

“What’s wrong, Zamasu? Is it too much?” He smiled mischievously up at that beautiful face. He looked intoxicated with lust and desire. What a marvelous expression. “I could look at you all damn day.” He continued moving down his body, though, drawing soft gasps every time he kissed or licked at the god’s skin. He really did want to put his mouth on every bit of his body. If only he had the time for that. Right now, though, he was getting more and more eager by the second. He wasn’t sure how long either of them could last at this point. Probably not very long.

“H-Hearts . . .” Zamasu’s voice quivered as he now had both hands in the man’s hair. His hair looked very good disheveled like this. The way he looked up at him as he moved down his body also made his heart beat faster. Those red eyes . . . “Hearts, I. . .”

“I hear you. Just let me take my time. I’ll make sure you’re satisfied, Zamasu.” He finally made his way down to Zamasu’s length. No one had touched this version of him like this before, had they? So he was essentially a virgin – how appetizing. “Look how aroused you are and all for me. I couldn’t ask for a better dessert.” Hearts wrapped a hand around the god’s cock and pulled it upright so he could kiss the head, eliciting a surprised gasp from his lover. “I’ll have to be careful playing with you; too much and you’ll finish prematurely.”

Hearts wrapped his lips around the head of Zamasu’s length, his hands holding onto his lips to keep him from thrusting into his mouth as he went down on him about halfway and then pulled back, repeating the motion in a slow rhythm. He’d never thought he’d be giving someone a blowjob, but here he was anyhow. The sounds coming from Zamasu made it all worthwhile. He was trying so desperately to thrust further into that heat, but Hearts’ hands prevented him from doing so. The god whined in frustration, the hands in Hearts’ hair pulling hard on occasion as a silent plea to go further and do more.

The god’s thighs suddenly went up around Hearts’ head and he had to wrap his arms around them and pull them back down onto the bed in a hurry. “Are you trying to crush me?” Hearts head pulled back enough to speak, cocking a brow at the god as he now held the god’s legs. Perhaps he ought to get on with it before Zamasu really began to lose himself. “I love seeing you let loose, Zamasu. The way you look right now is beyond even my wildest thoughts.” He released his hold and sat up again, marveling at just how stunning he was.

“Taken them off.”

“Hm?”

“Your pants. Come on . . .”

Hearts smiled down at the god, “If you want my pants off so badly, why don’t you take them off yourse-ah!” He was taken by surprise as the Kai suddenly shoved him back onto the bed and made quick work of yanking his pants down his legs and tossing them to the floor with the others. He’d severely underestimated Zamasu’s desire.

“You didn’t think I actually would, did you?” Zamasu was the one to smirk this time as he leaned in to capture Hearts’ lips in a chaste kiss. “I’m not some delicate flower that will bend to your every will, mortal. I am the most supreme being in existence. Do not forget that.”

“Of course, of course, Lord Zamasu.” Hearts smirked. This side of Zamasu was incredibly sexy, “Why don’t you put that supreme mouth of yours to work then, hm? I don’t have anything else to make the job easier and I doubt you want me going in dry. Pain or not, that wouldn’t be very pleasant for either of us.” He lifted a hand to touch the injured side of Zamasu’s face, running his thumb beneath the blind eye. “You are beautiful.”

“. . . stop that.” Zamasu’s dominant personality waivered from Hearts’ compliment, his eyes falling half-lidded. “Saying something so vulgar and then telling me that in the same moment . . . you’re the worst.”

“Am I?” Hearts propped himself up with his elbows, a confident grin stretched across his face, “Well? Let’s see if that mouth can do more than spout insults and delusions of grandeur.”

“Keep talking like that and I’ll bite.” Zamasu made a chomping motion with his mouth before he backed down Hearts’ body, trailing feather-light kisses down over his scarred chest just as Black had done to Zamasu. It was a very strange feeling. He’d done all of these things before . . . and he’d had all of these things done to him. Yet . . . it was really his first time for all of it. This body had experienced everything and yet truly experienced nothing. Would he be any good?

Hearts watched Zamasu intently. He really seemed to know what he was doing and didn’t hesitate at all to put his mouth on his skin. Didn’t it bother him to do something like this with a mortal? It was best not to mention it. His lips felt like rose petals lightly dropping on his skin. The way the god’s hands moved down his chest and sides made his breath hitch in his throat. Everything was soft, but deliberate. But as Zamasu hovered just above his groin, the god looked up at him, then immediately back down again before covering his right eye with his hand.

“Hm? What are you doing?”

“I should put the cover back on before I do this . . .”

“What? Why?” Hearts sat up quickly to grab Zamasu by the arms to stop him from leaving the bed. He looked so distraught. “You are beautiful just as you are right now. I don’t want any part of you covered up. I want to see everything. I want to see all of you.” Hearts moved his hands to hold Zamasu’s face and pull him in for another hungry kiss. His heart was pounding and his cock was eager for attention, but it wouldn’t be any good if Zamasu was distracted. He kissed him, both hands holding tightly to the god’s face until he felt him relax. “Don’t worry about your appearance. The only one to see you like this is me. Let me admire you properly.” He nuzzled the god’s neck, his hands finally releasing their hold on him once he felt certain Zamasu wouldn’t try to leave the bed again. If he could just get him to forget about all of that for a while . . .

“Hearts . . .” He shouldn’t accept such words from a mortal, but . . . something felt different about Hearts. A mortal who wanted to become immortal. Someone who wanted to stay forever at his side. Why did that make his chest feel so tight? He wasn’t sure how to react at all. For now, though, he placed a few kisses on Hearts’ cheek, trailing up to the man’s ear where he ran his tongue up along the edge and over the cuffs. Dare he say there was something sexy about the cuffs on his ear?

Hearts gasped softly and jerked in response to the attention to his ear. That was a sensation he hadn’t experienced before. “Hey now, aren’t you paying attention to the wrong thing?”

“Hmmm? What? Can’t take it?” Zamasu smirked as he leaned away, “Your red cheeks really stand out on your pale skin, Hearts.” Two could play at the teasing game. He did give in to Hearts’ desires, though, and backed up enough that he could lean down and run his tongue over the tip of Hearts’ length.

“Hahh . . . there we go.” Hearts leaned back again, propping himself up with his elbows so he could watch the god work. “Why the pause? Is it too much for you?”

With only an arch of the brow over his good eye, Zamasu ran his tongue from base to tip before wrapping his lips around the head and taking the full length in his mouth. All the while he maintained eye contact with Hearts, who released a few short gasps as the heat engulfed him.

“A-ah . . . I guess not . . . damn . . .”

It was beautiful to watch a god go down on him. This proud and mighty being was performing such an act on him. At least, those were the thoughts he would have had with any other god. This one, though . . . he could only focus on how Zamasu’s hair moved as he moved his head. The way he’d broken eye contact and closed his eyes, a deep scarlet spreading like wildfire across his face and ears. He was embarrassed, but he was so good. Would it embarrass him more if he told him how good he was?

Hearts leaned his weight to one side so he could reach out and touch Zamasu’s cheek. Zamasu faltered a bit in his movements, but resumed without looking up again. “It feels great.” Hearts cracked a smile when the Kai furrowed his brows in embarrassment, looking up at him briefly. “Maybe use your tongue a little more.”

Looking up again, Zamasu pulled his head back all the way until his mouth popped off the end. Without so much as a word, he stuck his tongue out and licked at the head of Hearts’ length. A string of saliva lingered for a moment, an obscene connection between the two of them until the Kai licked his own lips to get rid of it. He smiled seductively at Hearts, who only stared back with wide, red eyes. He wasn’t expecting that, was he? As Zamasu readied himself to go down again, he felt a hand grip his hair and stop him. “What are-“

“Shhh . . .” Hearts sat up now, bringing his other hand to Zamasu’s chin so he could wipe at his lower lip with his thumb, “If I let this go on for too long, I won’t be able to do what I want with you. How do you expect me to feel when you look at me like that? You’re driving me absolutely crazy.” With a low, predatory growl, Hearts shoved Zamasu back so his head landed on the pillow. He immediately lay on top of him, the hand in his hair yanking back to expose his throat while his free hand went back to his face to press his middle and ring fingers past his lips. “Your mouth knows what to do, doesn’t it?” He whispered the words into Zamasu’s ear, his cock twitching with need when that drew a soft moan from the god. “Get them nice and wet for me.” Heart bit down on Zamasu’s neck, causing the god to groan and jerk a bit. “Fucking perfect . . .”

Zamasu swirled his tongue around the digits in his mouth. He knew the purpose of those fingers, he knew what was coming next, and he had no desire to stop any of it. The voice in his ear, the mouth and teeth against the skin of his neck, the hand gripping his hair tightly . . . all of it was more welcome than he’d have ever thought. His body had been craving this horribly and he’d be damned if he denied it now. “Hnnn . . .” Zamasu thrust his hips upward to grind against the man on top of him, his own hands grabbing at Hearts’ hair and arm as he let himself give in a little bit more. Wasn’t it vulgar to be so noisy and so open? What if someone else heard?

They’d probably already heard them.

Hearts withdrew his fingers, crushing his lips against those of the god as he ran the slick digits against his entrance. He slid one inside, then the other, trying to wet him a bit to make entry more comfortable for him. Even if it didn’t hurt, surely it must be uncomfortable to be stretched like that. He’d never been with another man before to know what this experience would entail. What would it feel like?

“Are you ready, Zamasu?” He nipped at the Kai’s lower lip as he leaned back just enough to get a good look at his face, his hand still working at his entrance to prepare him quickly. The way Zamasu’s mouth hung open as he tried to catch his breath was absolutely delicious. He looked like he was in somewhat of a daze. He wanted to peek into his heart and see how he was feeling, but he couldn’t focus enough to do that right now. He would know how he felt by the volume of his moans momentarily.

“H-Hearts . . .” Was that his own voice? To think he’d call the name of a mortal like that. This mortal was different, though. He had good ambitions and the intelligence to pull them off. “You are . . . the only mortal that I’d . . . that I’d . . .”

“That you’d let fuck you?” Hearts murmured the words against the Kai’s lips as he positioned his length and pressed inside of him, fully sheathing himself in that tight heat in one swift motion. The cry that tore from Zamasu’s throat prompted him to remain still and wrap an arm around him while his free hand brushed his hair out of his face a bit, “Are you okay?”

“I don’t feel pain, idiot.” Zamasu shuddered as his body tried to acclimate to the intrusion.

“That isn’t what I asked you.” Hearts planted light kisses over Zamasu’s discolored eye and his forehead, “I asked if you were okay. I know your conscience must be fighting you because I’m a mortal. Just as mine fought me for a while because you are a god.” He slowly moved his hips back until just the head remained inside, then gently and slowly thrust forward to bury himself once more. This elicited a soft whimper from Zamasu, who gripped at Hearts’ back with both hands. “You are _my_ god. You are the only god allowed in the utopia I want to create.” He gave him another thrust, working into a steady rhythm as he rocked against his divine lover. “You’re an exception to a rule I swore by . . . a god that I don’t hate. I never imagined it could be possible.”

Why was he saying all of this right now, when he was already emotionally compromised? Something about his words, his raw emotion just pouring out of him like that . . . something about it made Zamasu’s chest feel tight and his throat feel dry. “I hate mortals . . . I hate them, but . . . I guess I don’t really hate you.” Hearts had been kind all along, hadn’t he? He came to see him before he could even speak. He carried him when he could not yet walk. Even when the others drove him crazy, Hearts’ company was rarely exhausting.

. . . and he wanted to wish for immortality. He was promising him eternity, was he not?

“You don’t hate me?” Hearts couldn’t help but laugh before capturing Zamasu’s lips again, picking up his thrusting pace a bit. “I’ll accept that for now. But . . . I want you to actually like me eventually. Wouldn’t that be something?” He brushed his lips against the side of Zamasu’s face, making his way back to his ear since he knew those were sensitive, “Let me hear your voice, lord Zamasu. I know you can get loud. How else will I know if you feel good?” He ran his tongue along the bottom of his ear, just as Zamasu had done to him earlier. “Maybe I can get you cuffs like I have. I can’t mark you with my mouth, so maybe I can decorate your body in other ways. Mark my territory. I don’t want anyone else to touch you the way I touch you.”

Zamasu shuddered, a strangled whine escaping him as he wrapped one leg around Hearts’ waist to give him a better angle. “Shut up. I’m not . . . I’m not your territo-ahh!” The god’s eyes widened from the noise that left his own lips, his body shaking as a large wave of pleasure coursed through him.

“Oh? What was that?” Hearts moved faster, trying to hit that same spot inside the Kai that made him cry out. Again a moan was torn from his lips . . . and again and again. . . until Zamasu try to pull his leg back down, “Ah ah ah, don’t move your leg. This angle is perfect.” He reached back to grab the leg, holding it in place before grabbing the other and bringing it forward so he was holding the ankle by Zamasu’s head on the pillow. “My, you’re quite flexible. Something to keep in mind.” He growled in Zamasu’s ear as the god was wracked with uncontrollable moans and whines.

“Too much . . . it’s too much!” He could barely even focus enough to get the words out as he was overcome with wave after wave of overwhelming pleasure. His toes curled as his fingers clawed desperately at Hearts’ back. “Please . . . it’s too much!”

The way Zamasu’s voice cracked as he pleaded for Hearts to ease up made the man shiver. “That’s what I wanted to hear. Listen to that voice . . . how could I stop now when you sound so damn good?” He did oblige, though, opting to release his hold on Zamasu’s legs so he could hold the back of his head with one hand and slip the other hand between the two of them to wrap around the god’s neglected cock. “The way your body is trembling is driving me absolutely crazy. Let me hear more of your voice, Zamasu. Cry out to me, Zamasu. Say my name, Zamasu.” This proud god telling him the pleasure was too much had his ego more inflated than ever.

Zamasu’s legs fell back to the bed on either side, his knees bent upward and his toes curling against the bedsheets as he continued to move erratically with pleasure. He’d felt many of these things before, but not with this body and not with someone who seemed to know more about what he was doing. He wanted to tell Hearts to shut up, but he couldn’t find the words anymore. Somehow that voice in his ear saying such vulgar and awful things turned him on even more. Was that normal? “Ha-ahhh Hearts. . .” He hadn’t really intended to say the man’s name, but it came out anyhow. Whatever. His mind was a jumbled mess right now, so he wasn’t really certain what all he had said thus far.

“There you go.” Hearts nuzzled the side of Zamasu’s face, slowing his pace a bit so he could give him long, deep thrusts instead. He changed the movement of his hand to match this new rhythm as he planted kisses along the soft skin of the god’s cheek, “Beautiful. Your body, your face, your voice . . . gods really are perfect, aren’t they? Or maybe . . . only you are.”

Why did he keep saying things like that? How could he still be so beautiful with his face as it was? It was a monster’s face, not the fact of a beautiful god! But Hearts kept saying otherwise. Over and over he said it. And he always looked at him like he’d never seen anyone that looked better . . . why? “Hearts . . .” He looked into the man’s eyes as he leaned back just enough to look at him and he was thankful that Hearts immediately kissed him, the hand in his hair holding them together as they exchanged a slew of desperate kisses. Tears stung at the backs of his eyes from the awful thoughts in his head and he’d be damned if he cried during sex.

There was a lack of words for a while, just a tangled mess of bodies and limbs moving in sync. There was the sound of skin against skin, lips on lips, grunts, groans, moans . . . their bodies were slick with sweat as they neared their limits.

“Hearts, I –“

“I know. . . me, too. Go ahead.” Hearts watched Zamasu through half-lidded eyes. What was this feeling he had when he looked at Zamasu? He loved to tease and taunt him, but really he loved just being around him. “Only you, Zamasu. Only you make me feel like this.”

Like this? Like what?

The Kai didn’t have the focus to ask him, though. He arched his back, pressing his chest against that of the larger man as he finally came between them, his hips jerking as he thrust into Hearts’ hand to milk himself of the last few drops before collapsing back onto the bed.

Hearts pulled out of him, the hand that was once around Zamasu’s length now wrapped around his own as he trying to finish himself off. “Haa. . . ahhh . . .” He grit his teeth, his hips jerking instinctively as he, too, finally came onto Zamasu’s stomach. “Heh. . . heheh . . . damn. Is it too much if I say cum looks great on your skin color?”

“W-what? Wait, did you- where did- on my _stomach_!?” His voice cracked a bit as he slowly came down from the high of his orgasm. Sure enough, he saw a disgusting mixture of cum sitting on his stomach. “So filthy . . . disgusting . . . awful . . .”

“Oh calm down.” Hearts pulled the top sheet that had been shoved to the end of the bed and used it to quickly clean him up, chucking the sheet to the floor with their clothes. “We can just take a shower together after a bit.”

“Why not shower right now?” He’d had that disgusting mortal seed on him! Simply wiping it away was nowhere near enough to rid his skin of that filth!

“Because I want to hold you for a little while. Didn’t your two halves do this sort of thing after they had sex?” Hearts flopped down on the bed beside Zamasu, pulling the man into his chest and wrapping his arms around him.

“. . . they did.” Why did he bring them up so often? “They often lay together until they fell asleep afterward. They were perfect for each other.” He sighed, burying his face in Hearts’ chest without realizing what he was doing.

“Well now they’re together forever.” Hearts looked down at him as Zamasu slowly looked up from his chest. “It seems unlike you to have regrets. When you were first brought here, Fu described you as narcissistic. I see it sometimes, but it’s not nearly as bad as I thought it’d be.” He smiled, brushing a bit of Zamasu’s hair out of his face, “Maybe you were a lot worse before you were defeated . . .”

“Why are we talking about something so irritating?” Zamasu moved his legs to intertwine them with Hearts’ legs.

“Right, right. We shouldn’t discuss things like that right now.” Hearts looked thoughtful for a moment. “So, uh . . . was I better?”

“Better?” The god arched a brow at him, both hands now resting on Hearts’ scarred chest. “Better than what?”

“Better than getting fucked by yourself.” Hearts cackled loudly as Zamasu tried to pull away from him, but he held him tightly so he couldn’t escape, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I couldn’t waste the opportunity!”

“You’re the worst! Let go of me!” Zamasu heaved a defeated sigh as those large arms only squeezed him tighter until he stopped fighting him. “You shouldn’t make a hobby of trying to irritate me.”

“It isn’t my fault you’re so fun to tease, Zamasu.” Hearts nuzzled his forehead, then the discolored eye. “Will you put the patch back on after this, or will you leave it off now that you know it isn’t so bad?”

“I’m going to put it back on. I don’t want to see such a mess every time I pass a mirror or window. No one needs to see what has become of me.” No matter how many times Hearts called him beautiful or said it wasn’t so bad, it was crushing him inside to know that he was permanently ruined because of those Saiyans.

“When I first saw you, I was immediately drawn to your beauty. I hated that, since I knew you were a god and I despise gods. But I couldn’t help but just want to be around you. I felt that I wanted you by my side. At first it was for devious purposes, but now . . . now I really do want you at my side as my equal.” Hearts began to play with Zamasu’s hair as he studied the god’s face. Why did he hate it so much? He was too concerned with this failure. Would getting revenge against those Saiyans really heal the hole they’d made in his self-confidence?

“When I first saw _you_ . . . I thought you were an idiot for saying you were going to defeat the Omni King. I also hated that you touched me too much.” Now here he was, lying in his arms, completely nude in bed with him. What had happened in such a short time? “An equal with a mortal . . . I don’t think I like that very much. Mortals are despicable and should be eliminated.”

“All mortals?”

“All mor- ah, well . . . perhaps not you.” Zamasu furrowed his brows. Why was he wavering on that now after he’d gone to such lengths to create his perfect utopia?

“Give me some time and perhaps I can show you the good side of mortal life. It seems you’ve only seen the ugly side. There is good and bad in all things, you know. Even nature itself has destructive forces in it. There is nothing in existence that is truly perfect. Everything has some flaw, some imperfection.” He ran his thumb over the blind eye, “Remember that.”

There is nothing in existence that is truly perfect . . .

Why did that statement feel so profound?

“Everything has some imperfection, huh . . .” Had he really had some flaw all along? He did, didn’t he? Even if his face had been perfect, his mind had already long since been shattered. “You say a lot of really annoying things.” He pressed his forehead against Hearts’ chest, sighing contentedly as he draped an arm over the man’s side.

For the first time in a long while, he felt at peace.

* * *

The rest of the day had progressed a bit awkwardly. Well, it had been awkward for Zamasu. His mind was an absolute mess from what had happened. He’d had sex with a mortal. Not himself in a mortal’s body, but a real mortal. Someone who was so full of himself and who had such ridiculous ambitions. Someone . . . much like himself, but in mortal form.

Hearts, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear, practically glowing for the rest of the evening. He took every opportunity to be strange about it, too. He would throw an arm over Zamasu’s shoulders or around his waist; he even went so far as to slap the god’s ass as he walked by after dinner! It had taken every ounce of self control Zamasu had left to keep from turning Hearts to dust!

Even after all of that, though, the Kai still went to bed with him that night and slept up against him, those big, warm arms wrapped tightly around him while Hearts buried his face in his hair. The intimacy felt so nice after it had been missing for a while. Was it okay, though? He didn’t want Hearts to see him as someone to be coddled. Did he view him as pitiful and pathetic? The thoughts kept him awake late into the night, but he eventually succumbed to sleep, lulled by the rhythmic beating of his new lover’s Heart.

The next day, after they’d had lunch, Zamasu excused himself back to the room to be alone for a bit. “You need to get it together, Zamasu.” He lectured his reflection in the floor-length mirror, silver eye glaring back at him as he stood close to it. “What is it that you want from that mortal?” He pursed his lips as if waiting for the reflection to actually answer him. “What do you want? Do you want that mortal? Do you like that mortal?” He swallowed hard, “Do you like Hearts? Do you . . . do you want to stay with Hearts, even after the Omni King is dead?” He clenched his hands tightly into fists, his nails making small crescents against his palms as he slowly lowered himself to sit on the floor.

“I’ve truly lost my mind, haven’t I? Is this yet another thing that was broken when those Saiyans took everything from me?” His eyes threatened to shed tears, but he sighed deeply a few times to keep them at bay. “No, I am still the supreme god Zamasu. Even with this damage, my body remains immortal. I still have the seemingly infinite potential of the Saiyans. I can start over again.”

_“Give me some time and perhaps I can show you the good side of mortal life.”_

“The good side . . .” Zamasu rose to his feet, “No, I will show _you_ how awful mortals are. Even if we currently seem equal, I will show you that I am superior. Even if I let you . . . let you _dominate_ me during sex, it was only because I allowed it!” He glared at the deep scarlet blush spread across his face in his reflection. “I have to keep him in line! I must show him he only has as much control as I allow! If I continue to let him do as he pleases, he will have a false sense of superiority! I haven’t fallen so far as to let that happen!”

Zamasu left the room and went down the hall. Knowing Hearts, he was probably in the lounge drinking. “Hearts!” He shoved he door open, revealing a bewildered Hearts with a half-full glass of whatever it was he usually drank.

“Yes?” Hearts watched in confusion as Zamasu approached him, sat on his lap with his legs straddling Hearts’ thighs, and snatched the glass of whiskey from him, downing it all in a hurry. “Ah- you won’t- okay, then.”

The god gagged as he looked at the now-empty glass with absolute disdain, “Why would you drink such a foul beverage!? How awful! This is nothing like what we had yesterday.” He set the glass on the small table by the armchair they were seated in.

“Well, they’re two very different types of alcohol . . .” What had gotten into him so suddenly? Was he upset about something? He seemed upset, but if that was the case then why would he get on his lap like that? “Did you want something?”

“To put you in your place.” Zamasu rested his hands on Hearts’ shoulders, glaring into his eyes.

“. . . huh?” Was he having another one of his inner conflicts? What a complicated individual.

“Yesterday, I only allowed you to have control of the situation. Understand that I could have taken control at any moment.” Zamasu pressed their foreheads together, a bit annoyed by Hearts’ glasses.

Hearts, on the other hand, just looked amused now, “Right, of course. The way you were clinging to me and begging me to take it easy on you was all just for show, huh?” He chuckled as he watched the god’s face turn read, “Being submissive in bed isn’t a sign of weakness, Zamasu. I’m not sure what has your feathers so ruffled.”

“I am not submissive! I could dominate you easily, mortal!” Zamasu grabbed the glasses and pulled them off Hearts’ head before setting them on the table with the glass. “Something like that is no problem for a god like me. I am the most powerful, the most charismatic, the-“

“-loudest moaner I’ve ever had sex with.” Hearts rested his hands on the Kai’s hips, grinning wider as he saw Zamasu grow visibly frustrated. “Well? Are you going to show me how dominant you are, lord Zamasu? Though I don’t know if we should do that right here. . .”

“Why not? Are you afraid someone would see you look pathetic, Hearts?” Zamasu’s angry expression quickly turned to a smirk as he leaned forward to press their chests together, his ass now resting over Hearts’ groin.

“Not really, it’s just that-“

“Shut up.” Zamasu crushed their lips together, much like Hearts had done to him several times yesterday. It felt good to be the one to initiate it. Good and bad, really, but mostly good. He was in control of the situation. All of this was his own decision and no one else’s. He was not being swayed or led around by a mortal. “Yeah, you don’t like being interrupted, do you?” He muttered the words against the other man’s lips, opening his eye just a bit to look into the half-lidded eye of Hearts.

“I don’t particularly mind it.” Hearts’ voice was low as he shifted a bit in his seat. This wasn’t a very good place for this, but if Zamasu wanted to go at it again, he certainly wasn’t going to stop him.

“What’s wrong, Hearts?” Zamasu sounded smug as he also began to move, rocking his hips back and forth to grind against Hearts’ groin. “Are you a bit uncomfortable?” He smiled mischievously before licking up Hearts’ chin and then over his lips, stopping to bite at his lower lip as he slipped his hands inside Hearts’ coat.

A more confident Zamasu was incredibly sexy. Hearts’ pulse was racing as he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He already had a damn erection from the way Zamasu was grinding his ass against him, “It’s like your body doesn’t know if it wants to be dominant or submissive.” Wasn’t something like this called a ‘power bottom’? “You look very good seated on my lap, Zamasu. Where did a god learn to move like this, hm? Isn’t it a bit obscene?” He rested his hands over Zamasu’s thighs, sliding them back to his hips to help him rock a bit faster, “We should really move this to the bedroom, though.”

“I learned them from a god in a mortal’s body. You mortals are obsessed with sex, it would seem.” Zamasu grabbed a hand full of Hearts’ hair to yank his head back, his other hand still groping at the man’s muscular chest and abs, “Why do you want to go to the bedroom so desperately?”

Zamasu abruptly ceased all movement, his eye widening as arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind and he could feel breath against his left ear.

“Zamasuuu.” Fu’s voice was drawn out into a whine as he nuzzled against the god’s ear and neck, “Can I play, too?”

“F-F-Fu!?” Zamasu turned his head to see the demon grinning at him like an idiot, “When did you come in?” How much had he seen? How much had he heard?

“I’ve been here the entire time. Hearts tried to tell you, but you told him to shut up.” Fu bit down on the tip of the Kai’s ear, but a green hand swiftly back-handed him, effectively making him back off.

“Disgusting! Do not touch me, filthy demon!” Embarrassed and pissed off, the god got up from Hearts’ lap and folded his arms across his chest. He was thankful that his pants fit so loosely. It saved him the embarrassment of an obvious arousal.

“What? You’ll have sex with a mortal, but not a demon? Are demons beneath mortals for you?” Fu pouted, flopping back down on the couch where he’d been seated before.

“Mortals are the worst, but . . . Hearts is . . . different . . . I suppose.” Blushing now, the god turned his back to the two men and made for the door to leave.

“Hey, Zamasu. I’ll meet you in our bedroom. Why don’t you just get naked and make yourself comfortable on the bed, hm?” Hearts threw the god a wink when he looked back him over his shoulder.

“I’d rather die than do something so shameful!” Zamasu slung the door open and stormed out of the room.

“Yeah, well death isn’t really an option! I’ll see you in a bit!” Hearts called after him after getting up from the armchair. “Fu, we’ll have to continue our conversation later. I have to go take care of a problem.” Hearts smirked as he picked his glasses up from the table.

“Yeah, yeah. Lucky bastard. Maybe I can convince him to let me play sometime.” Fu leaned on the armrest as Hearts hurried from the room to chase down the furious god. “A god who hates mortals and a mortal who hates gods . . . but they like each other? Isn’t that something . . .” He leaned his head back on the couch cushion to stare up at the ceiling, “Not at all like I’d planned, but perhaps this will have an even better outcome. Tell me . . . will your story end in triumph . . . or tragedy?”


End file.
